Japan suspends waste water operation at nuclear plant

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TOKYO: Tokyo Electric Power said Saturday it stopped treating highly radioactive waste water at a crippled Japanese nuclear plant just hours after the system came online because parts needed to be replaced.

Part of the system that absorbs radioactive caesium had reached its processing capacity and needed to be replaced far earlier than expected, TEPCO officials said.

The operation started at 8:00 pm Friday (1100 GMT) and was stopped five hours later, said TEPCO, which had earlier expected the part to last for one month.

"We are studying the cause of this," said Junichi Matsumoto, TEPCO official in charge of nuclear operations.

TEPCO officials speculated that especially highly radioactive mud might have entered the treatment system.

"We do not have a firm timing as to when we can resume the operation of the water treatment facility," Matsumoto told a press conference. (AFP)