But the Japan Defence Agency said the U.S. forces were unable to help because they did not have the necessary equipment for such an accident. Kyodo quoted the government officials as saying Japan lacked experience in dealingwith this kind of accident. Japan's defence agency spokesman said a 16-strong chemical warfare unit was on standby. Workers normally use up to 2.3 kg of uranium in each procedure to prevent a criticality accident, they said. The injured, two critically, were taken to hospital and some later transferred by helicopter to a specialised hospital in Chiba Prefecture east of Tokyo, officials said.
Criticality is a flash event, as compared to a whole kind of reaction that Chernobyl was.
NEI is the trade group that represents the U.S. nuclear power industry. The accident led Japan Prime Minister Keizo Obuchi to consider postponing a cabinet reshuffle planned for Friday, Nonaka said. The government would await Obuchi's final decision while monitoring developments, he said. Obuchi had met with cabinet ministers and pledged to take all possible steps to cope with the crisis, Nonaka said. Anti-nuclear activists said the accident, the latest in a series to plague Japan, would cast doubt on the safety of the entire nuclear programme.