The partial meltdown of spent fuel rods at reactor 2 at the plant in Fukushima, 250 km north-east of Tokyo, was believed to be temporary, Chief Cabinet Secretary Yukio Edano said.
The radiation-contaminated water has been found in an adjacent turbine building of reactor 2 since the March 11 disaster.The contamination hampered the plant operator's work to restore power and cooling functions at the reactors to avert a potential disaster.