(和訳）
米当局によると、米国では、避難地区をより広げるよう強要するべきであり、次の２４時間から４８時間がとても重要になると信じられている。

今がどれほど危険な状態か、説明するのが難しいとその匿名の当局者は語った。

巨大な地震が最初に核施設に損害を与えた時から、日本の核危機は強まった。水曜日に、ホワイトハウスは福島核施設から50マイル(８０キロ）内にいるアメリカ人に避難するように勧告した。そして、放射線濃度が「急上昇」したため、施設従業員は一時的に避難するように強制された。

避難によって生じた困難は、メルトダウンの可能性を「拡大した」ことだった。

「彼らは従業員を避難させるべきではありません。－そして、原子炉を冷却するために従業員を原子炉に戻す必要があります。なぜなら、この職務は、決死隊として自らの命をかける任務であるという認識を持たなくではならないからです。」と、ABCニュースは、匿名の米政府当局者の発言を伝えている。

米原子力規制委員会（NRC）の委員長が、福島原子力工場の中の原子炉の一基では、使用済み燃料プールに水が一滴もないことを指摘したが、日本当局はこれを否定した。APは、「NRCのグレゴリー・ジャッコウ会長の言うことが正しいならば、これは燃料棒がより熱くなって、最終的にメルトダウンするのを止める手段が何もなくなったことを意味するだろう。」と伝え、ホワイトハウスのジェイ・カーニー報道官は、日本の状況を「さらに悪化しており、動きは急速に進むであろう。」と水曜日に伝えた。

最近、ウィキリークスは、日本政府が数年前に原子炉のデザインについて警告されたにもかかわらず、何もしなかったことを発表した。

【More・・・】

東日本大震災の被災地は１７日も冬型の気圧配置が続き、真冬並みの寒さとなった。物資不足が深刻化して被災者が厳しい生活を強いられる中、福島県と岩手県で高齢者計１５人が避難中に亡くなっていたことが判明。毎日新聞のまとめでは、１０県で３９万３２６０人が避難所に身を寄せている。被災地では懸命の救助作業が続いているが、死者は５１７８人に上り、２万人以上が行方不明となっている。

福島県内で死亡したのは、県立いわき光洋高校（同市中央台）に避難した高齢者。県や同校によると、福島第１原発の放射能漏れで避難指示の圏内となった同県大熊町の病院と老人ホーム計３施設の入所者だった。男性６人、女性８人で、１４日夜から１６日朝の間に死亡。中には寝たきり状態の人もいた。

同校に来たのは、医療施設などに移るまでの一時的な措置で、１４日夜から１５日朝にかけて到着した。うち２人は同校に向けてバスで移動中に亡くなったとみられるという。

同校は避難者の急増を受け、一時避難先として１４日に急きょ受け入れを開始。ピーク時には約２６０人が避難した。病気治療中の高齢者などについては当初、十分な医療設備が無いことから受け入れを断っていたが、行き先を確保できない高齢者が多いため、一時的に受け入れを決定。県内の病院から来た医療スタッフ４人がボランティアとともにケアに当たり、多くは１６日中に医療施設に移ったという。

岩手県内では、陸前高田市立第一中学校に避難した女性（８３）が１７日朝、搬送先の病院で亡くなった。日本赤十字社の救護所や市災害対策本部によると、女性は２、３日前に避難所に運ばれた。持病があった上、疲労で食事や水分をほとんど取れなくなり、トイレに行くのもおっくうな状態だったという。

気象庁天気相談所によると、１７日の朝の最低気温は岩手県沿岸部で氷点下５～３度、宮城、福島県沿岸部で同４～３度程度と考えられ、雪が降っているところもあるという。

消防署員らを含む住民が行方不明となっていた岩手県山田町では、１７日未明までに秋田県から入った救助隊が５８人を発見したが全員の死亡を確認した。

一方、岩手県釜石市や宮城県石巻市などでは１６日夕から深夜にかけ、道路の開通などにより多数の地区で孤立状態が解消した。釜石港でも１７日午前９時ごろ、国土交通省所有の大型船が釜石市の釜石港に接岸。救援物資が荷降ろしされた。

U.S. Concerned Japan Facing Situation That Could Be 'Deadly For Decades': ABC News
The White House is preparing for a situation in Japan that could be "deadly for decades," a U.S. official tells ABC News.

According to the official, the U.S. believes a larger evacuation zone should be imposed and that the next 24-48 hours are "critical."

"It would be hard to describe how alarming this is right now," ABC quoted the anonymous official as saying.

The nuclear crisis in Japan has intensified since the massive earthquake first damaged nuclear facilities. On Wednesday, the White House advised Americans within 50 miles of the Fukushima nuclear facility to evacuate and plant employees were temporarily forced to retreat as radiation levels "soared."

The difficulties caused by the evacuations were blamed for "escalating" the chances of a meltdown.

"They need to stop pulling out people -- and step up with getting them back in the reactor to cool it. There is a recognition this is a suicide mission," the unnamed U.S. official was quoted by ABC as saying.

The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission's chief claimed there is no water in one of the spent fuel pools at the Fukushima nuclear plant, which Japanese officials have denied. According to the AP, "If NRC Chairman Gregory Jaczko is correct, this would mean there's nothing to stop the fuel rods from getting hotter and ultimately melting down." White House spokesman Jay Carney said on Wednesday that the situation in Japan is "deteriorating and fast-moving."

Cables recently released by WikiLeaks show the Japanese government was warned about the design of its nuclear reactors years ago, and did not act.

U.S. officials are alarmed at how the Japanese are handling the escalating nuclear reactor crisis and fear that if they do not get control of the plants within the next 24 to 48 hours they could have a situation that will be "deadly for decades."

"It would be hard to describe how alarming this is right now," one U.S. official told ABC News.

President Obama has been briefed by nuclear experts.

The Japanese have evacuated most of the reactor personnel from the Fukushima nuclear complex and are rotating teams of 50 workers through the facility in an attempt to cool it down.

"We are all-out urging the Japanese to get more people back in there to do emergency operation there, that the next 24 to 48 hours are critical," the official said. "Urgent efforts are needed on the part of the Japanese to restore emergency operations to cool" down the reactors' rods before they trigger a meltdown.

"They need to stop pulling out people―and step up with getting them back in the reactor to cool it. There is a recognition this is a suicide mission," the official said.

The official said the United States is in very deep consultations with Japanese about the way forward and that the only thing that has been favorable is the wind pattern that is blowing the contaminated material out to sea instead south towards Tokyo and other populated areas, but that can't be counted upon.

The U.S. official says experts believe there is a rupture in two, maybe three of the six reactors at the Fukushima power plant, but as worrisome is the fact that spent fuel rods are now exposed to the air, which means that substances like cesium, which have a long half-life, could become airborne.

"That could be deadly for decades," the official said.

There is a growing concern around the world that a nuclear catastrophic disaster is in the works.

"There is talk of an apocalypse and I think the word is particularly well chosen," European Union's energy commissioner Günther Oettinger said today, according to various reports. "Practically everything is out of control. I cannot exclude the worst in the hours and days to come."

The United States has instituted a 50-mile evacuation zone for U.S. forces and American citizens from the Fukushima power plant, four times the size of Japan's 12-mile evacuation zone. Only exceptions that are made are for relief missions.

"Recently the NRC made a recommendation that based on the available information that we have, that for a comparable situation in the United States, we would recommend an evacuation to a much larger radius than has currently been provided in Japan," Nuclear Regulatory Commission Chairman Greg Jaczko said at a hearing of the House Energy and Commerce Subcommittee.

Jaczko said of the four plants that are endangered at the Fukushima site, there has been a hydrogen explosion at one unit and secondary containment has been destroyed.

"We believe radiation levels are extremely high, which could possibly impact ability to take corrective measures," he said.

U.S. analysis show that some of the radiation from the Fukushima nuclear power plant has drifted northward and out to sea, officials say, but the country is hardly clear of danger.

U.S. Fears Japan's Crisis Could Be Worse Than Chernobyl
米国は日本がチェルノブイリ以上の危機に晒されることを恐れる

Thousands of people flocked to Tokyo's Narita Airport today amid rising concerns of a radioactive fallout.

The head of the U.S. Department of Energy said today that the nuclear disaster unfolding in Japan could be worse than the 1979 Three Mile Island accident in Pennsylvania that dampened Americans' view of nuclear power plants for decades to come.

"Events unfolding in the Japan incidents appear to be more serious than Three Mile Island. To what extent, we don't know that. They are unfolding hour by hour," Energy Secretary Steven Chu said earlier today at the hearing.

Chu's assessment is in line with views expressed by many experts, some of whom even believe the Japan crisis could be worse than the 1986 Chernobyl nuclear disaster in Ukraine that left hundreds sick and killed several from radiation.

The United States has deployed thousands of military and civilian staff to assist the Japanese in dealing with the aftermath of the earthquake and the resulting tsunami, which has killed thousands.

To date there have been 113 helicopter missions and 125 fixed wing missions. More than 129,000 pounds of water and 4,200 pounds of food have been delivered.

The Department of Energy and Nuclear Regulatory Commission has sent teams of U.S. experts to assess the nuclear situation.

U.S. aid to Japan has reached nearly $5.9 million, with total planned assistance amounting to $8 million. USAID says the primary humanitarian needs on the ground remain food, safe drinking water, blankets, medical supplies, fuel, and sanitation infrastructure.

ABC News' Huma Khan and Luis Martinez contributed to this report.

"They are leaving us to die," says the mayor of Minamasoma inside the exclusion zone
Continue reading the main story
Japan Earthquake

The governor of the region at the centre of Japan's nuclear crisis has criticised official handling of the evacuation of the area around the stricken Fukushima Daiichi power plant.

Fukushima prefecture governor Yuhei Sato said: "Anxiety and anger felt by people have reached boiling point."

Engineers are racing to avert a nuclear catastrophe at Fukushima Daiichi, badly damaged by Friday's quake and tsunami.

The government has declared a 20km (12-mile) evacuation zone around it.

Another 140,000 people living between 20-30km of the facility were told on Tuesday not to leave their homes, while the US embassy has advised American citizens living within 80km of the plant to evacuate or seek shelter.

Mr Sato said centres already housing people who had been moved from their homes near the plant did not have enough hot meals and basic necessities such as fuel and medical supplies. "We're lacking everything," he said.

Thousands of people were killed in the 9.0-magnitude quake and tsunami. In a rare public appearance, Japan's Emperor Akihito has said he is "deeply worried" about the crisis his country is facing.

The atomic crisis has been caused by the tsunami wrecking back-up diesel generators which kept the nuclear fuel cool at the Fukushima Daiichi plant, 220km from Tokyo.

Workers have been dousing the reactors with seawater in a frantic effort to stabilise their temperatures, since the first in a series of explosions rocked the plant on Saturday.

Helicopters deployed to dump water on the facility on Wednesday were pulled out amid concerns over radiation levels in the air above the site. Reports suggest another plan is now under consideration to use water cannon.

Earlier, the plant's operators evacuated its skeleton crew of 50 workers for about an hour as ground-level radiation spiked.

And yet another fire broke out in a reactor, while steam billowed from another one.

Fukushima Daiichi: What went wrong

Reactor 1: Was first to be rocked an explosion on Saturday; fuel rods reportedly 70% damaged
Reactor 2: There are fears a blast on Tuesday breached a containment system; fuel rods reportedly 33% damaged
Reactor 3: Explosion on Monday; smoke or steam seen rising on Wednesday; damage to roof and possibly also to a containment system
Reactor 4: Hit by a major blaze on Tuesday and another fire on Wednesday
In graphics: Fukushima alert

The power facility has sent low levels of radiation wafting into Tokyo, spreading alarm in the city and internationally.

The head of the United Nations nuclear watchdog, Yukiya Amano, said developments at the plant were "very serious", as he prepared to head to the country to assess the situation.

In other developments:

-After losing $620bn (￡385bn) in the first two days of this week, Japan's stock market rebounded to finish Wednesday up by 5.7%　
-Britain advised its nationals currently in Tokyo and to the north of the capital to consider leaving the area　
-France urged its nationals in Tokyo to leave the country or move south; two Air France planes were sent to begin evacuation　
-Australia advised its citizens to consider leaving Tokyo and the most damaged prefectures
-Turkey warned against travel to Japan

'Unprecedented'
Emperor Akihito went on live TV on Wednesday to make his first public comments on the disaster, and urged an all-out rescue effort.

The 77-year-old - deeply respected by many Japanese - said: "I hope from the bottom of my heart that the people will, hand in hand, treat each other with compassion and overcome these difficult times."

Japan's titular head of state - who acceded to the throne in 1989 after the death of his father Hirohito - said he prayed that every victim would be saved.

He spoke as snow blanketed swathes of the disaster zone, where many survivors have little food, water or heat.

About 450,000 people have been staying in temporary shelters, many sleeping on the floor of school gymnasiums.

More than 4,300 people are listed as dead but it is feared the total death toll from the catastrophe, which pulverised the country's north-east coast, will rise substantially.
Japanese media have became more critical of Prime Minister Naoto Kan's handling of the disaster, and have accused both the government and plant operator Tokyo Electric Power Co of failing to provide enough information on the incident.

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