Cika wannan jumla: A ranar 11 ga Maris, 2011, wani
girgizar kasa da aka rarraba a matsayin 9.0 MW a kan sikelin girman lokacin ya faru a 14:46 Japan Standard Time (JST) a gabar arewa maso gabashin Japan, daya daga cikin girgizar kasa mafi karfi a tarihi. An "rufe" raka'a 4, 5 da 6 kafin girgizar ƙasa don tsara aikin kulawa. Sauran masu aikin sun rufe / SCRAMed ta atomatik bayan girgizar ƙasa, kuma sauran zafin narkewar mai ana sanyaya shi da iko daga janareto na gaggawa. Tsunami mai lalacewa mai zuwa tare da raƙuman ruwa har zuwa mita 14 wanda ya mamaye tashar, wanda ke da ganuwar ruwa, masu samar da gaggawa marasa aiki da ake buƙata don sanyaya injina da kuma tafkunan man fetur a cikin Units 1<unk>5. A cikin makonni uku masu zuwa akwai shaidar ɓarna na ɓangarorin nukiliya a cikin raka'a 1, 2 da 3: fashewar bayyane, wanda ake zargi da iskar hydrogen, a cikin raka'a 1 da 3; wani fashewar da ake zargi a cikin raka'a 2, wanda zai iya lalata kwandon ajiyar farko; da kuma yiwuwar gano wuraren da aka yi amfani da man fetur a cikin raka'a 1, 3 da 4. An ba da rahoton raka'a 5 & 6 a ranar 19 ga Maris, ta hanyar "sabuntawa na faɗakarwa" na tashar tashar ta IAEA, don samun hauhawar yanayin zafi na tafkin mai amfani kamar yadda suka rasa ikon waje, amma ikon da aka samar da shi ta hanyar na'urori masu amfani da dizal guda biyu na Unit 6 wanda ba a yi ambaliyar ruwa ba, an saita su don yin aiki sau biyu da sanyaya duka tafkunan mai amfani da na'urorin 5 da 6 "da tsakiya". A matsayin matakan kariya, an kuma sanya ramuka a rufin wadannan rukunin biyu don hana yiwuwar matsin lamba na iskar hydrogen sannan kuma ƙonewa.