A group of journalists in protective clothing examine crippled nuclear reactors at the stricken Fukushima Daiichi power plant.
It is only the second media tour inside the complex since the March 2011 earthquake and tsunami knocked out the cooling systems at the six-reactor nuclear plant.
Hydrogen explosions at two reactor buildings occurred a few days later, and radiation leaks forced some 80,000 residents to evacuate the area, on the coast around 240 kilometres northeast of the Japanese capital.
Radioactive materials have been found in water and foods such as fish and vegetables, and the disaster is considered the worst nuclear accident since Chernobyl 25 years ago.
During the tour, nearly a year since the incident, the head of the Daiichi power plant apologised to those who had to flee their homes to avoid radiation.
Experts believe meltdowns have occurred at three reactors, and last December the Japanese government declared the plant to be in "cold shutdown"-where water containing fuel rods maintains a temperature under boiling point.
The plant head said the situation in Fukushima is unique-that it is extremely difficult to remove the fuel rods from the reactors, and that the government has launched a project to research technical solutions to this.
For now, the reactors are said to be in a stable condition, although the Japanese government has said it will take two to three decades to fully decommission the power station.
Nick Rowlands, Reuters.
