Japan Launches Task Force at Shika Nuclear Power Plant After Strong Earthquake - Reports

TOKYO (Sputnik) - The Japanese government and Japan’s Atomic Energy Commission have established a task force on preventing emergencies at nuclear power plants in the wake of a major earthquake in the Ishikawa prefecture, media reported on Monday, adding that data is already being collected on the situation at the local nuclear power plant, Shika.

Currently, the first and the second reactors have been suspended, the broadcaster reported, adding that the task force stepped up radiation level checks at the Shika nuclear power plant.

An emergency task force on collecting and analyzing data has been established within Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida’s office following a series of the major earthquakes in the Ishikawa prefecture, Japanese news agency Kyodo reported on Monday, adding the prime minister ordered for all possible measures to eliminate consequences and save people.

In particular, he ordered the cabinet to cooperate with local administrations to ensure urgent measures after the earthquakes, the report read.

A tsunami threat has been issued for all the western coast of Japan from the northern island of Hokkaido to the southern island of Kyushu, while a threat of the great tsunami has been declared in the Ishikawa prefecture after a series of earthquakes on Monday, the agency reported.

Starting from 4:06 local time (07:06 GMT), nine earthquakes with magnitudes ranging from 4.3 to 7.6 took place in the area of Ishikawa and Niigata prefectures.