Tokyo Electric Power Company Holdings (TEPCO) suspended cooling operations at the Fukushima Daini Nuclear Power Plant's No. 1 reactor on Sunday, April 6, 2026, following a pump malfunction that triggered safety alarms. The incident occurred during the ongoing decommissioning process of the facility, which was severely damaged during the 2011 earthquake and tsunami.
According to TEPCO, workers detected smoke near the reactor's spent fuel pool and shut down the cooling pump at 2:45 p.m. local time. The utility confirmed that radiation levels around the plant remain stable, with no injuries reported. Public broadcaster NHK noted the pool's temperature was 26.5°C at the time of shutdown, leaving approximately eight days before reaching the 65°C safety threshold.
Fukushima Daini, located 12 km south of the Fukushima Daiichi plant, has been undergoing decommissioning since 2019. Both facilities were rendered inoperable by the 2011 disaster. TEPCO stated it is prioritizing repairs to restore cooling functions while investigating the root cause of the malfunction.
