A 5.3 magnitude earthquake struck Japan, under the Fukushima Prefecture early Friday says the U.S. Geological Survey, striking the same location where a nuclear power plant sustained sufficient damage in the March 2011 earthquake and tsunami.
The earthquake occurred one day after Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe ordered the operator—Tokyo Electric Power Co.—of the crippled Fukushima Dai-ichi nuclear power plant to scrap all six reactors at the site. Four receptors were initially scheduled for decommissioning. Following a tour of the plant, however, Abe instructed TEPCO “to ensure decommissioning of reactors No. 5 and 6 so that they can concentrate more on dealing with the accident,” according to Associated Press.
Japan’s Fukushima Dai-ichi plant suffered considerable damage in the 2011 earthquake and tsunami, when three reactors melted and a fuel cooling pool was left damaged, leading to radiation-contaminated groundwater to leak into the Pacific Ocean.
TEPCO reported no major damage to the plant after the earthquake, according to Japanese news agency Kyodo News.