The final part of an ice wall surrounding the damaged Fukushima Daiichi reactors is being frozen, Tokyo Electric Power Company said yesterday. The ice wall prevents the travel of water into or out of the reactor building basements.

Analyses by Japanese laboratories of seawater, marine sediment and fish samples taken from near the damaged Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant produce reliable data, according to the International Atomic Energy Agency. The agency compared the results obtained from seven Japanese labs with those from three labs outside Japan.

UPDATED Tokyo Electric Power Company has confirmed the presence of what could be melted fuel and fallen debris within the lower part of the flooded primary containment vessel of unit 3 at the damaged Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant in Japan. Similar surveys using robots have already been carried out at units 1 and 2 of the plant.

An underwater robot has been developed to inspect the flooded primary containment vessel of unit 3 at the damaged Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant in Japan. The robot is expected to be deployed in the coming months, following the training of operators.

Tokyo Electric Power Company has completed a five-day investigation of the primary containment vessel (PCV) of the damaged unit 1 of the Fukushima Daiichi plant using a robot. The results of the survey will help Tepco determine the location of fuel debris within the vessel.

A robot has entered into the primary containment vessel of the damaged unit 1 of the Fukushima Daiichi plant and provided Tokyo Electric Power Company with radiation and temperature measurements within it. The company hopes the data, together with video footage, will enable it to locate the molten fuel in the unit.

Tokyo Electric Power Company is preparing to insert a Hitachi-developed robot into the primary containment vessel of the damaged unit 1 of the Fukushima Daiichi plant. Last month, a Toshiba-developed robot was used to survey the vessel of unit 2.

Tokyo Electric Power Company yesterday sent a robot into the primary containment vessel of the damaged unit 2 at the Fukushima Daiichi plant in Japan. Although the robot was unable to reach the part of the vessel directly under the reactor pressure vessel, the company said the information it gathered will help it determine how to decommission the unit.

Tepco Holdings has made significant progress in its adoption of a stronger safety culture, an advisory body to the company has said. The Nuclear Reform Monitoring Committee, which has reviewed the company's self-assessment, made several recommendations for further improvement.

Russian state nuclear corporation Rosatom has signed a memorandum of cooperation in peaceful uses of atomic energy with two Japanese ministries. One key area of cooperation under the agreement will be post-accident recovery at the damaged Fukushima Daiichi plant.

The evacuation order for the town of Kawamata in Fukushima prefecture will be lifted next March, allowing residents to permanently return to their homes there, Japan's Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry has announced.

Japan has established a new organisation tasked with managing its reprocessing of used fuel, METI announced on 3 October. The Nuclear Reprocessing Organisation of Japan will be funded by the country's power utilities to cover the cost of the reprocessing work.