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| Japan pledges $470m for Fukushima leaks | |
| (35 minutes later) | |
| Japan is to invest hundreds of millions of dollars to stem leaks of radioactive water from the Fukushima nuclear plant. | Japan is to invest hundreds of millions of dollars to stem leaks of radioactive water from the Fukushima nuclear plant. |
| Government spokesman Yoshihide Suga said an estimated 47bn yen ($473m, £304m) would be allocated to the project. | Government spokesman Yoshihide Suga said an estimated 47bn yen ($473m, £304m) would be allocated to the project. |
| The leaks were getting worse and the government "felt it was essential to become involved to the greatest extent possible", Mr Suga said. | The leaks were getting worse and the government "felt it was essential to become involved to the greatest extent possible", Mr Suga said. |
| The plant was crippled by the 2011 earthquake and tsunami. | The plant was crippled by the 2011 earthquake and tsunami. |
| The disaster knocked out cooling systems to the reactors, three of which melted down. | The disaster knocked out cooling systems to the reactors, three of which melted down. |
| Water is now being pumped in to cool the reactors, but storing the resultant large quantities of radioactive water has proved a challenge for plant operator Tokyo Electric Power Company (Tepco). | Water is now being pumped in to cool the reactors, but storing the resultant large quantities of radioactive water has proved a challenge for plant operator Tokyo Electric Power Company (Tepco). |
| Under the government plan, a wall of frozen earth will be created around the reactors using pipes filled with refrigerant to prevent groundwater coming into contact with contaminated water being used to cool fuel rods. | |
| Water treatment systems will also be upgraded to tackle the build-up of contaminated water, officials said. | |
| The damage to the plant has necessitated the constant pumping of water to cool the reactors - a process which creates an extra 400 tonnes of contaminated water every day. | |
| It was revealed last month that some of that water was leaking from storage tanks at the site. |