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As Japan struggles to recover from the devastating earthquake and tsunami, another strong tremor, at a magnitude of 6.4, struck off the coast of Fukushima late Tuesday. Luckily, no damage was reported from the beleaguered area.
The death toll from the March 11th earthquake and tsunami has now surpassed 11,000, with more than 16,000 others still missing. And to compound problems, radiation from the Fukushima nuclear power plant still poses a threat.
The new quake comes as the city's damaged nuclear plant continues to pose a radiation threat to the whole nation.
The plant has been leaking radiation that has made its way into vegetables, raw milk and tap water as far away as Tokyo. Residents within 20 kilometers of the plant have been ordered to leave. Some nations have banned food imports from the Fukushima region.
Five concentrations of highly toxic plutonium are the latest contaminant found seeping into the soil outside the plant.
The Nuclear Safety Agency says these amounts are not harmful to humans, but the discovery could mean the reactor's containment mechanism has been breached.
Japan's Prime Minister, Naoto Kan, says the country is making maximum efforts to bring the crisis under control.
The government is also vowing to overhaul nuclear safety standards once the reactor complex is under control, admitting its safeguards were insufficient to protect the plant against the March 11th tsunami.
However, a series of incidents at the reactors have led to increased criticism of the utility company -- Tokyo Electric Power. The company is accused of being slow to release information about trenches outside the reactors filled with contaminated water.