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The Tokyo Electric Power Company (Tepco) has removing fuel rods from Japan's stricken Fukushima No. 1 nuclear power plant. Tepco is the company that the nuclear power plant. It was badly damaged and meltdowns following being by a massive earthquake and tsunami in 2011. Tepco the removal of the nuclear fuel on Monday, five years behind schedule. The work to and relocate the hazardous rods was delayed because of a whole series of malfunctions of the devices that had designed for the removal operation. Another factor that delays was high levels of radiation in the area. Tepco said this a "significant challenge" for engineers.

Tepco said it is seven unspent nuclear fuel rods from the reactor's pool. There are a total of 1,573 spent and unspent fuel rods at the power plant. The rods will transferred to safer storage pools at the plant. Tepco said the work would be by the end of March 2021. A company spokesman, Tomohiko Isogai, said: "I believe everything is well so far. We will watch the progress at the site as we safety first. Our goal is not to the process but to carefully with the decommissioning work." Another spokesman said: "Safety is our priority. We will carefully this work." Prime Minister Shinzo Abe said Japan would do its best to the area.