Japan’s prime minister says the country is on “maximum alert” over its nuclear crisis as radiation continues to seep out of the disabled Fukushima nuclear plant and traces of plutonium have been found in the soil.
Radiation has been detected in the atmosphere on nearly every continent on Earth.
A magnitude 6.4 earthquake hit northern Japan on Tuesday, Japan’s national broadcaster NHK said citing local meteorologists.
The tremor occurred just one hundred miles from the Fukushima Nuclear Power Plant, which was crippled by a powerful quake and ensuing tsunami earlier in March.
The epicenter of the new quake was registered at a depth of 18.2 kilometers (11.3 miles). No tsunami warning was issued after the latest earthquake.