On March 11, 2011 an earthquake occured that killed 20,000 people in Northern Japan. The quake created a tsunami. A natural disaster of this level led to a breakdown in civil services such as public transport and electricity. The Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant was effected because of this.
Fukushima Daiichi Disaster
Without any power, there was no water to cool the power plant, creating the high temperatures which lead to explosions that released radioactive debris into the air. Contaminated water was leaked into the sea for months.
A large amount of steam was produced because and the pressure began rising. The temperature kept rising rapdily and the cooling system had failed because of the tsunami.
Effects
The people surrounding the reactor were very quickly evacuated, minimizing the effects of the radiation of human life. Certain areas were quarantied for a short time until the radiation faded, while some areas are still under quarantine.
Radioactive material still spills into the sea because the fences that were present before the accident had faield. They are being consumed by species of fish that are consumed for food. The food in Japan is now being mointored to avoid the consumption of radioactive fish.
Continued nuclear reliance
Without access to natural resources Japan will continue to rely on nuclear energy, although continiously trying to develop renewable energy they have had trouble leaving nuclear power.
http://fukushima.ans.org
http://www.world-nuclear.org/info/safety-and-security/safety-of-plants/fukushima-accident/
http://www.wsj.com/articles/japan-struggles-to-find-balanced-energy-strategy-1431545581