#Fukushima I Nuke Plant: Reactor Core of No.1 Is 380-Degree Celsius

TEPCO admits. It exceeds the normal operation temperature. Needless to say, this news is not reported in the Japanese language media. (At least I've found none so far, but I could be wrong.)

From Reuters (3/22/2011):

.... Hidehiko Nishiyama, the deputy-director general of Japan's nuclear safety agency, later said the smoke at reactor No.3 had stopped and there was only a small amount at No.2.

He gave no more details, but a TEPCO executive vice president, Sakae Muto, said the core of reactor No.1 was now a worry with its temperature at 380-390 Celsius (715-735 Fahrenheit).

"We need to strive to bring that down a bit," Muto told a news conference, adding that the reactor was built to run at a temperature of 302 C (575 F).

Asked if the situation at the problem reactors was getting worse, he said: "We need more time. It's too early to say that they are sufficiently stable."

Reuters earlier reported that the Fukushima plant was storing more uranium than it was originally designed to hold, and that it had repeatedly missed mandatory safety checks over the past decade, according to company documents and outside experts.

Muto is one of the 6 vice presidents at TEPCO.

Well, Japan still has a capital punishment.

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