US Navy submarine leaks more radioactive water: Japan

The Japan News.Net
Thursday 7th August, 2008 (IANS)

Tokyo, Aug 7 (Xinhua) The US Navy's nuclear-powered submarine Houston has leaked radioactive water at two more ports in Japan, the Japanese foreign ministry said Thursday.

A similar incident was reported in Sasebo port in March this year.

The ministry said the incident was notified by the US embassy in Japan in the afternoon. The US side said the Houston - a fast attack submarine - had been making a steady leakage from June 2006 until last month.

During the period, besides making five port calls in southern Japan's Sasebo, the submarine made a port call in Yokosuka south of Tokyo and another five in Uruma of southernmost Japan's Okinawa Prefecture.

The US embassy said the accumulative amount of leakage water containing trace of radiation was 'extremely small' and posed no risk to public health or the environment.

Japan was first notified of the leakage at Sasebo port Saturday. The news aroused widespread discontent in the country.

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