A robotic arm demonstrates the removal of melted nuclear fuel debris during a simulation at the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant on February 25, 2026. (Photo by Japan Pool / JIJI PRESS / AFP)
Tokyo: A 22-meter robot arm will help remove a third sample of radioactive debris from inside Japan's stricken Fukushima nuclear plant, its operator said Thursday, as it unveiled the snake-like device.
Dangerously high radiation levels make removing melted fuel and other debris from the plant hit by a huge tsunami in 2011 the most daunting challenge in the decades-long decommissioning project.
Around 880 tons of hazardous material remain inside the power station, the site of one of the world's worst nuclear accidents after a tsunami was triggered by a 9.0-magnitude earthquake.
A four-minute video released on Wednesday by plant operator TEPCO showed a snake-like robot arm -- measuring 22 meters and weighing about 4.6 tons -- moving through small tunnel-like passages and inspecting complex structures within a confined space.
The tip of a robotic arm demonstrates the removal of melted nuclear fuel debris from the No. 2 reactor during a simulation. (Photo by Japan Pool / JIJI Press / AFP)
The robot is equipped with a camera and "is better at retrieving information" than previous devices used, company spokesman Isao Ito told AFP.
TEPCO plans to use the robot later this year to conduct its third trial debris removal operation at one of the melted reactors in the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant, he said.
Tiny samples of radioactive material have been collected twice under a trial project using special tools, but full-fledged extractions are yet to take place.
TEPCO announced in July that the massive operation to remove debris had been delayed until at least 2037. The company previously said it hoped to start in the early 2030s.
