Original Japan Times headline: Tritium surges tenfold in groundwater at Fukushima nuclear plant; typhoon effect suspected

Altered Japan Times headline: Tritium up tenfold in Fukushima groundwater after Typhoon Phanfone Tritium up tenfold in Fukushima groundwater after Typhoon Phanfone

Japan Times (Jiji Press), Oct. 12, 2014 (emphasis added): The radioactive water woes at [Fukushima] got worse over the weekend after the tritium concentration in a groundwater sample surged more than tenfold… [Tepco] said Saturday that heavy rain caused by Typhoon Phanfone probably affected the groundwater… [The] 150,000 becquerels… is a record for the well… [Beta ray emitters at the well] also shattered records with a reading of 1.2 million becquerels… close to the plant’s port in the Pacific… [Another well had] a record 2.1 million becquerels of a beta ray-emitting substance, nearly double the level from a week earlier… The cesium activity in the sample was 70 percent higher at 68,000 becquerels… Readings hit record highs at three points after the heavy rain caused by the typhoon, but the utility said it does not know why.

Perhaps it has something to do with this report just after the typhoon hit last weekend: Officials: Typhoon triggers alarm at Fukushima plant -- Warning of leakage at Reactor No. 1 turbine building -- Leak then detected at Reactor No. 3 -- Camera captures images of water pouring in after "very heavy rain" -- Powerful storm still packing gusts of up to 180 km/hr off Fukushima coast

Japan Times (Jiji Press), Oct. 12, 2014: The water crisis could get worse… Typhoon Vongfong… was still packing winds of up to 180 kph… The Meteorological Agency said it [would be] gradually losing strength as it races north toward Tohoku [which includes Fukushima.]

In fact, officials at the Japan Meteorological Agency forecast Vongfong’s wind speed to lose just 5-6 mph from it’s current level by the time it reaches Fukushima prefecture. See:  Typhoon winds up to 110 mph to hit Fukushima Daiichi, storm surge advisory issued -- Nearly all gov't forecasts show eye passing right over plant -- Nuclear Expert: Expect radioactive material washing into Pacific Ocean (MAPS)

Although not mentioned in the Japan Times’ report, a spike in Cobalt-60 was also seen after Typhoon Phanfone. The Co-60 concentration more  than doubled the record high for any well since Tepco began publishing results. See: Officials: Typhoon caused significant increase in radioactive releases from Fukushima -- Record levels of 'highly toxic' nuclear material found in ground outside reactor -- Among the most poisonous substances at plant