Beyond Nuclear

"Japan’s weather agency on Saturday told thousands of residents near a southern city to prepare for a possible evacuation as it upgraded a volcanic eruption warning." As if nature itself was snubbing nuclear power, seismic activity around the volcano Sakurajima spiked this past Saturday morning, a few days after the restart of the Sendai nuclear reactor.

"The volcano is about 50 kilometres (31 miles) from a nuclear reactor that was switched on this week, as Japan restarted its nuclear power programme following the 2011 Fukushima crisis when a quake-sparked tsunami set off reactor meltdowns at the now-crippled site.

"Critics have said the restarted reactor at Sendai was still at risk from natural disasters.

"Officials raised their alert to its second-highest level after picking up increasing seismic activity around the volcano, which sits just off the coast of Kagoshima, a city of more than 600,000 people." The Guardian

Seventy-seven people within 2 miles of the volcano have already been evacuated. The Sendai reactor has made no changes in light of the raised warning.

"Japan is home to over 100 active volcanos and lies at the nexus of the North American, Eurasian and Philippine Sea tectonic plates. Earthquakes, volcanic eruptions and tsunamis are not uncommon." PRI's The World Consider Fukushima.