Fukushima leak is 'much worse than we were led to believe'

[spin]

5. When the Fukushima disaster occurred I remember telling my family, ...

"You can kiss Japan goodbye."

One more major earthquake near the damaged reactor and I might be proven right. God, I hope not.

Insight: After disaster, the deadliest part of Japan's nuclear clean-up

By Aaron Sheldrick and Antoni Slodkowski
TOKYO | Wed Aug 14, 2013 3:16am BST

(Reuters) - The operator of Japan's crippled Fukushima nuclear plant is preparing to remove 400 tons of highly irradiated spent fuel from a damaged reactor building, a dangerous operation that has never been attempted before on this scale.

Containing radiation equivalent to 14,000 times the amount released in the atomic bomb attack on Hiroshima 68 years ago, more than 1,300 used fuel rod assemblies packed tightly together need to be removed from a building that is vulnerable to collapse, should another large earthquake hit the area.

***snip***

Tepco has shored up the building, which may have tilted and was bulging after the explosion, a source of global concern that has been raised in the U.S. Congress.

***snip***

And if an another strong earthquake strikes before the fuel is fully removed that topples the building or punctures the pool and allow the water to drain, a spent fuel fire releasing more radiation than during the initial disaster is possible, threatening about Tokyo 200 kilometers (125 miles) away.
http://uk.reuters.com/article/2013/08/14/us-japan-fukushima-insight-idUKBRE97D00M20130814

The article also mentions the considerable danger in removing the radioactive rods from the pool.

If the worst happens this could make most of the problems we worry about today appear relatively insignificant.