Japanese technicians in bid to make Fukushima plant safe

(Vatican Radio)Nuclear technicians in Japan will soon begin removing hundreds of fuel rods from the damaged Fukushima power plant, a crucial step towards making the site safe.

Japan's nuclear regulator says workers can begin removing about 1,500 nuclear fuel rod assemblies currently lying in a water tank inside a damaged reactor building.

The building is one of four that shattered in explosions two and a half years ago. Removal is urgent because the building may now be too fragile to withstand another shock such a large earthquake.

The Fukushima plant operator has built a crane above the fuel storage pool and aims to lift out all fuel rods by the end of next year.

The plant director says...the radiation, and having to wear protective suits and masks means it will be hard work. Akira Ono said there is always a sense of tension there.

Japan's Nuclear Regulatory Authority warns that removing the fuel will be dangerous because some of the rods may be wedged in with debris and if they break as they are lifted they could cause heavy contamination.

But the step is being hailed here in Japan as the first significant step towards decommissioning the Fukushima plant, a process that is expected to take about 40 years. Listen to Alastair Wanklyn in Tokyo