The firm that ran the Fukushima nuclear plant has apologised for its “cover-up” when it delayed disclosure of meltdowns at three reactors.

Work has started to remove radioactive fuel rods from a reactor at Japan’s crippled Fukushima Dai-Ichi nuclear power plant, a crucial first step toward a full clean-up of the earthquake and tsunami-damaged plant.

The UN's Atomic Agency is visiting Japan's Fukushima nuclear power station to assess the scale of the leaks which have plagued the site in recent months.