Recently the plant began operating equipment to decontaminate radioactive substances from water. But the radiation level in the vicinity of the absorption tower was so high that the plant could not but stop the operation in less than five hours.

Tokyo Electric Power Co. predicts the tower might have absorbed oil or mud containing radioactive material more than expected.

430 mSv radiation per hour was detected in the basement of Reactor No. 2 building of the power plant.

The radioactive contamination fear is rising nationwide.

The Tokyo Shimbun reported radioactive cesium exceeding the allowed level set by the Ministry of Agriculture, Forest and Fisheries was detected in feed grass collected in Nasusiobara City and Nasu chon, Tochigi Prefecture.

The Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology opened to public a map showing the soil contamination in which cesium stored in the surface of soil was measured within 100-200km radius from the troubled power plant.

According to it, radioactive cesium was found 100,000-300,000 Bq per a square meter of soil in Tochigi Prefecture neighboring Fukushima Prefecture and the north of Ibaraki Prefecture. This proved that radiation contamination is reaching the capital.

Meanwhile, a research group of a university in Japan released a study results saying lots of radiation material that leaked into the air following the accident at the Fukushima Nuclear Power Plant flew to Europe by a jet stream.