Water in all its forms has caused trouble at the ruined Fukushima nuclear plant this week. They are reminders that the problems are far from over.

(Image credit: Noboru Hashimoto)

Kenichi Togawa was working at the Fukushima Dai-ichi nuclear power plant in Japan the day the earthquake and tsunami struck. His family is still living in temporary housing. For many people, the stress and isolation brought on by the disaster could pose more persistent hazards than the radiation.

(Image credit: Geoff Brumfiel)

The northeast coast of Japan has an older population, fewer jobs and more tsunamis than the rest of the country. The regional economy had been declining long before last year's disaster. Many people say in order to survive, the region needs to remake itself.

(Image credit: Yuriko Makao)

All of Japan's nuclear power plants will be offline by April and might never restart. That's forcing the country to increase its reliance on coal, oil and natural gas. This could cost the country an extra $100 million per day and significantly increase carbon dioxide emissions.

Though the immediate nuclear crisis in Japan has passed, the process of securing and stabilizing the radioactive materials from the melted-down reactors will be a long, expensive slog. Recovery workers will also need to decontaminate the area surrounding the plant.

(Image credit: Yoshikazu Tsuno)

A year after the earthquake and tsunami that killed almost 20,000 people in northeast Japan, schoolchildren are moving on, but have not forgotten. The students and their teachers talk about the effect the quake and its aftermath has had on them.

(Image credit: Doualy Xaykaothao)

Interactive photos show continuity and change in Japan since the tsunami struck one year ago.

(Image credit: Toru Yamanaka and Roslan Rahman)

A new independent report on the Fukushima nuclear accident found that a far worse meltdown — one that could have forced the evacuation of Tokyo's 30 million people — was narrowly avoided. It also suggests that Japan also suffered a failure of government regulation, supervision and response.

(Image credit: Kimimasa Mayama)

Experts say health effects from the radiation released by last year's nuclear disaster will be minimal. But the lasting psychological trauma from the tsunami, including the loss of life and livelihoods, will be an ongoing struggle.

Radiation still leaks from the Fukushima Dai-ichi nuclear plant in northeast Japan after last year's meltdowns. The continuing threats from the disaster go beyond contamination: For farmers, uncertainty can also be toxic.