Japan quake stirs nuclear fears, displaces thousands

KASHIWAZAKI, Japan, July 17 (Reuters) Officials at the world's biggest nuclear power plant admitted today there had been more radiation leaks after an earthquake in Japan that killed nine people and forced thousands from their homes.

The admissions by Tokyo Electric Power Co. (TEPCO) have reignited fears about nuclear safety in a country that relies on atomic power for one-third of its electricity but has faced repeated cover-ups of past accidents by atomic power utilities.

''I believe that nuclear power plants can only be operated with the trust of the people,'' Prime Minister Shinzo Abe told reporters in Tokyo, some about 250 km southeast of Niigata prefecture, where the quake struck on Monday morning.

''For this, if something happens they need to report on it thoroughly and quickly. We need to get them to strictly reflect on this incident,'' Abe added.

A small fire in a transformer at TEPCO's Kashiwazaki-Kariwa nuclear power plant sparked when the 6.8 magnitude quake struck on Monday was quickly extinguished.

But while TEPCO had initially said that the lethal earthquake had not caused any leaks, it revealed later on Monday night that 1,200 litres of radioactive water had sloshed into the sea from its Kashiwazaki-Kariwa plant in Niigata.

The company added that the quake was stronger than its reactors had been designed to withstand.

Then today, a TEPCO official told a news conference that checks of 22,000 drums containing nuclear waste at a warehouse had found about 100 had fallen over and ''several'' lost their lids.

Only about half the drums had been inspected so far, and it was not immediately clear from the official's comments whether there was any impact on the environment or people.

Also today, the company admitted that a small amount of radioactive materials -- cobalt-60, iodine and chromium-51 -- had been emitted into the atmosphere.

A trade ministry official said the amounts were too small to pose an environmental threat.

HOMES DESTROYED, UTILITIES CUT It was unclear today when TEPCO's power units could restart after the trade minister said safety must come first.

Media as well as local residents urged the nuclear industry to take heed of the threat and make sure reactors were safe.

''When you have something like this, it's scary,'' said retired taxi driver Tomiji Okura, 72, in Kashiwazaki, a city of about 95,000 whose economy relies heavily on the nuclear industry along with fishing. ''I want them to be made safe.'' Nearly 800 homes were destroyed or damaged in Niigata alone and much of the water, gas and electricity supplies cut by the quake had yet to be restored today.

About 9,000 people were set to spend a second night in schools and other make-shift evacuation centres.

''I've barely slept,'' said 35-year-old Kazuko Uchiya, a piano teacher who was at an evacuation centre with her 6-year-old son.

''I don't know when I can go home,'' she said.

Nine elderly people were killed and one person was missing, a Niigata prefecture official said.

Worries were mounting about the health of evacuees, many of whom are elderly.

''The damage was worse than anticipated,'' Kashiwazaki Mayor Hiroshi Kaeda told reporters. ''If we can restore water services more people can go home, so that's what we want to do first.'' Streets in Kashiwazaki were lined with damaged or collapsed houses, mostly wooden structures with heavy tile roofs, and many roads were blocked because of cracks, causing traffic jams.

Some people worked on repairs, covering damaged roofs with blue plastic sheets, while others picked through scattered rubble and many lined up for fresh water, which was trucked in by local officials and about 500 members of the armed forces.

Helmeted soldiers in camouflage uniforms made rice balls to hand out at evacuation centres, where crowds huddled sitting on ''tatami'' straw mats with blankets and a few belongings.

Japan is one of the world's most earthquake-prone countries, with a tremor occurring at least every five minutes, and for many Niigata residents, there was a tragic sense of deja vu.

The prefecture was hit in October 2004 by a quake, also with a magnitude of 6.8, that killed 65 people and injured more than 3,000.

It was the deadliest quake in Japan since a magnitude 7.3 tremor hit Kobe city in 1995, killing more than 6,400.

REUTERS SKB KP1646