Nuclear crisis deepens in disaster-struck Japan

Japanese crews grappling with the world's worst nuclear incident since Chernobyl temporarily pulled out Wednesday as radiation rose following feared damage to a reactor containment vessel.The evacuation order at the Fukushima nuclear power plant, where a tall stack of white cloud billowed high into the sky, deepened the crisis gripping Japan after an earthquake and tsunami pulverised its east coast on Friday.

The impact of Japan's earthquake and nuclear crisis rippled through the economy Wednesday as the government downgraded its outlook and Toyota announced more temporary plant shutdowns overseas.Another strong aftershock from the 9.0-magnitude quake that struck the northeast coast more than a month ago hit the disaster region, further fraying nerves amid tense stop-and-go containment efforts at a stricken atomic plant.

The clean-up at Fukushima after its tsunami-sparked nuclear meltdowns is unlike anything humanity has ever undertaken, Japan's prime minister said on Saturday during a tour of the plant.

A strong earthquake of magnitude 5.8 hit central Japan on Saturday morning, according to the US Geological Survey.The quake, which shook buildings in Tokyo, struck at 11:19 am (0219 GMT), 83 kilometres (52 miles) north of the capital and at a depth of 20 kilometres, the USGS said.Operator Tokyo Electric Power Co. (TEPCO) said the tremor did not disrupt the emergency crews who are working around the clock to cool crippled reactors at a nuclear plant hit by a devastating earthquake and tsunami last month.

Chinese Prime Minister Wen Jiabao on Sunday said Beijing would ease some bans imposed on Japanese food imports after the March 11 quake and tsunami, as a three-way summit with South Korea got under way.The meetings came as Japan battled problems at the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant, which has leaked radiation after disaster struck the northeast coast, culminating in the world's worst atomic crisis since Chernobyl 25 years ago.

As soon as the unprecedented Japanese quake and tsunami hit, it was obvious it would have a huge effect on the whole country. Although our blog talks mostly about business and the economy though, we all remain human. This is why the events in Japan are above all a huge and enormous human tragedy. Possibly tens of thousands of people have lost their lives, loved ones. Hundreds of thousands have lost their homes and endure hardship in evacuation shelters.

A strong offshore earthquake rocked Tokyo on Tuesday, swaying buildings in the Japanese capital and stopping subway services.The US Geological Agency put the magnitude at 6.4, at a depth of 13.1 kilometres (8.1 miles), 77 kilometres east of Tokyo. The Japan Meteorological Agency had measured it at 6.3.The quake hit at 8:08 am (2308 GMT Monday) off the coast of Chiba prefecture, just east of the capital. Japanese experts said there was no chance of a tsunami.