Tokyo Electric Power Shares Fall 1.05 Percent on Nuclear Plant Outage

[jpak]

TOKYO (AP) -- Tokyo Electric Power Co.'s share fell more than 1 percent Tuesday after an earthquake damaged one of its major nuclear power plants, the world's largest in terms of power output capacity.

The utility shut down the plant after Monday's 6.8-magnitude quake caused a small fire in the plant and water containing radioactive material to leak into the sea from the company's Kashiwazaki Kariwa plant, in north-central Japan.

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About 1,200 liters (317 gallons) of water containing radioactive material leaked from the plant into the sea, the company said Monday. Officials said there was no "significant change" in the sea water near the plant.

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The water leak and fire at the Kashiwazaki Kariwa reactors renewed doubts about the safety of Japan's nuclear power plants, which have suffered a long string of accidents and cover-ups amid deep concerns they are dangerously vulnerable in the earthquake-prone nation.

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