Japan seeks international help on Fukushima leaks

Prime Minister Shinzo Abe said Japan is open to receiving overseas help to contain widening radioactive water leaks at the crippled nuclear plant in Fukushima, with leaks and mishaps reported almost daily. Abe made the comments Sunday in a speech at an international science forum in Kyoto in western Japan. Despite Abe’s reassurance to the International Olympic Committee last month that the leaks were “under control,” many Japanese believe he was glossing over problems at the plant. Japan has been criticized for its perceived reluctance in accepting foreign assistance to fight the problems at the plant, where the ongoing water leaks are hampering decommissioning work that is expected to last decades.