A UN team of experts urges Japan to investigate nuclear reactors damaged a decade ago by a massive earthquake and tsunami.
Scientists working for the International Atomic Energy Agency reviewing the progress of the cleanup of the Fukushima plant say Japan has been slow to examine the fuel outside the reactors.
And they are concerned that the country may not be able to reach a 2051 target to clean up the disaster, according to a report.
“We need to gather more information on fuel waste and more experience in fuel waste recovery to see if the plan can be completed as expected in the next 30 years,” said IAEA Chief Christophe Xerri , at a press conference after he and a co-worker presented a report to the Japanese government on Friday about their recent findings.
A massive earthquake and tsunami in March 2011 destroyed the cooling systems at the Fukushima plant in northeastern Japan, causing three reactors to collapse in the worst nuclear disaster since the Chernobyl accident. of 1986, according to the Associated Press.
Japanese officials said they hope to complete the dismantling process in the next 30 years, although many experts believe the timeline is optimistic.
Japanese government officials and the plant’s operator, Tokyo Electric Power Company Holdings, have not provided any clarity on what the plant will look like when the cleaning is complete.