Nuclear watchdog asks Fukushima operator to assess risk from reactor damage

The Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power station (Hiro Komae/AP)

A nuclear watchdog has asked the operator of Japan’s wrecked Fukushima nuclear power station to assess potential risks from damage found in a key supporting structure inside the worst-hit of the three melted reactors.

A robotic probe inside the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant’s Unit 1 primary containment chamber found its pedestal — a main supporting structure right underneath the core — was largely damaged.