A glass gavel is seen in the office of judge Joaquim Barbosa during an interview with Reuters at the Supreme Court building in Brasilia November 19, 2012. REUTERS / Ueslei Marcelino
A glass gavel is seen in the office of judge Joaquim Barbosa during an interview with Reuters at the Supreme Court building in Brasilia November 19, 2012. Reuters/Ueslei Marcelino

Japan has announced that it will be delaying the dismantling and removal of the molten nuclear fuel from the reactor-1 of the crippled Fukushima power plant. The postponement will be for five years, from the original schedule of 2020.

Both the federal government and Tokyo Electric Power Co, operator of the facility, explained the slowdown and sudden change in plans were prompted by safety concerns arising from the presence of radioactive material detected in nearby paddy fields in July. The company had earlier removed the contaminated debris around the building that surround reactor-3. Authorities believed the presence of radioactive material they detected resulted from the dust that flew during the removal. They believe the same thing can happen with reactor-1.

TEPCO had started dismantling the canopy over the damaged No. 1 reactor building earlier in October. The canopy had been installed to prevent radioactive substances from entering the atmosphere. Asahi Shimbun reported both the government and TEPCO are expected to review the plans concerning the removal of the nuclear fuel at the No. 2 reactor building so as not to further hamper original plans. The removal of spent nuclear fuel from the No. 4 reactor building, meantime, is expected to be finished as scheduled, which is by yearend.

The hindrances will thus take a toll on the dismantling timeline. From an original schedule of 2017, the uranium rods will now be taken out in 2019, triggering an equal delay in the withdrawal process of the molten nuclear fuel from 2020 to 2025, the NHK channel said. But it noted that both government and TEPCO assured the delays will not impact the target completion of the plant's entire dismantling process, which is 2040.

Meanwhile, a California court has ruled that U.S. Navy personnel who were exposed to radiation from the crippled Fukushima plant can sue TEPCO right inside the United States.

TEPCO had earlier sought for the dismissal of the class-action lawsuit, citing jurisdictional issues. Moreover, it asked that the case be filed and heard in Japan. But U.S. District Judge Janis L. Sammartino based in San Diego quashed TEPCO's counter, saying in an October 28 ruling that private and public interest factors gathered on the case "suggest that it would be more convenient for the parties to litigate in a U.S. court."

At least 79 personnel of the U.S. navy filed a US$1 billion lawsuit against TEPCO in April 2014 on allegations the operator lied about the high level of radiation in the area as they carried out their humanitarian mission. They were the first respondents to the crisis three years ago. They were aboard USS Ronald Reagan at the time.

Some of the sailors have developed a number of cancer cases. One of them has given birth to a child with birth defects, the lawsuit filed in federal court in San Diego said.