Residents that live within a 3 km radius of Tokyo Electric Power's Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant have been told to evacuate, Japan's Chief Cabinet Secretary Yukio Edano told a news conference.

National broadcaster NHK said it was the first time a nuclear-emergency evacuation order had been issued in Japan.

Japan Declares Nuclear Emergency, As Cooling System Fails At Power Plant
[link to www.businessinsider.com]

Fears nuclear reactor will explode as 'out of control' cooling system fails at plant
[link to www.dailymail.co.uk]

2,800 residents urged to evacuate near Japan nuclear plant
[link to www.myfoxny.com]





If the nuclear reactor meltdowns down, fallout could reach the US and contaminate most of the Northern Pacific.