Japan rocked with 8.9 earthquake.

[ChrisH]

Although visually spectacular, these explosions are not necessarily dangerous in terms of releasing radioactivity. The buildings are an external shell, with the task of sealing radioactive materials falling to a metal containment vessel constructed inside the concrete shell.

"The explosion... wasn't a terribly important event," according to Malcolm Grimston from the Energy Policy and Management Group at Imperial College, London.

"The building was designed to fall outwards" - preventing damage to the thick steel containment vessel inside.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-12726628

A little reassuring I thought. That is assuming that he/they really know what they are talking about.

[ChrisH]

Thought you may be interested to read a part taken from one of the posts on another forum written by a person who has a number of family and friends living in Japan (thankfully all are ok as they live in the south west) and is a person who knows the country and its people very well.

One note about how the Japanese operate as a Group. Always as a Group. So although it might seem 'slow' in the beginning, as a group they are deciding big decisions as to how to harness the gasoline resources, and get it to the effected areas. Things like that are what they are thinking. So once the army opens up the roads, etc. then bam, huge help is there. Same thing going on with food and Electricity. Groups of people waiting for food, not really individuals. And groups of people preparing food. Trying to get them together seems the most difficult. Anyways, that type of thing is how they operate.

...One positive thing you haven't, and probably won't, see is mass pillaging of shops. Mass panic either. All very calm. They're so strong.