Article from The New York Times on the earthquake in Japan

Japan is assessing the damage caused by the major earthquake that occurred on Monday, while reviving memories of the devastating nuclear crisis at Fukushima, which was triggered by the massive earthquakes about 13 years ago and served as a reminder of the Chernobyl disaster.

TSUNAMI THREAT

The 8.9-magnitude earthquake and tsunami that devastated Japan's northeastern coast in March 2011 disabled the cooling systems in three reactors at the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant, leading to the spread of radioactive leakage across vast lands surrounding the plant.

ONE OF THE MOST DEVASTATING DISASTERS IN HISTORY

The earthquake and tsunami caused the deaths of more than 19 thousand people, and the nuclear disaster, one of the worst in history, caused the whole world to go on alert. Tens of thousands of people were evacuated from towns and farming villages around the plant, and a decade later, some have still not returned. 

It is still quite early for the cleanup of the area around the Fukushima plant. The government said that the treated radioactive wastewater used to cool the nuclear fuel rods would likely be released over a 30-year period.

Last summer, the government announced that it would begin releasing the treated water into the ocean. The International Atomic Energy Agency stated that the government's plan met the agency's safety standards.

However, this decision made a lot of noise and drew major backlash. This decision by the government caused objections from some scientists, concerns from fishermen who feared it would harm their businesses, and tensions with the governments of China and South Korea.

All of Japan's nuclear reactors were shut down after the 2011 crisis, and a large part of the nuclear energy program remains closed.