Niigata Earthquake and Nuclear Leak

Date: July 16, 2007 • Location: Kashiwazaki, Japan

A magnitude-6.6 earthquake struck off the coast of Niigata Prefecture, Japan, causing a leak of radioactive gases from the Kashiwazaki-Kariwa Nuclear Power Plant.

A magnitude 6.6 earthquake occurred 10:13 local time on July 16, 2007, at a previously unknown offshore fault in the northwest Niigata Prefecture of Japan. The city of Kashiwazaki and the villages of Iizuna and Kariwa registered the highest seismic intensity of a strong 6 on Japan's shindo scale, and the quake was felt as far away as Tokyo. Eleven deaths and at least 1,000 injuries were reported, and 342 buildings were completely destroyed, mostly older wooden structures. Prime Minister Shinzō Abe broke off from his election campaign to visit Kashiwazaki and promised to "make every effort towards rescue and also to restore services such as gas and electricity".