https://apnews.com/article/japan-fukushima-nuclear-meltdown-debris-robot-238a5177ec3ac3c7608c3116fdf58a58 Menu AP Logo Menu * World * U.S. * Election 2024 * Politics * Sports * Entertainment * Business * Science * Fact Check * Oddities * Be Well * Newsletters * Video * Photography * Climate * Health * Personal Finance * AP Investigations * Tech * Lifestyle * Religion * AP Buyline Personal Finance * AP Buyline Shopping * Press Releases * My Account * ... + World o Israel-Hamas War o Russia-Ukraine War o Global elections o Asia Pacific o Latin America o Europe o Africa o Middle East o China o Australia + U.S. + Election 2024 o Election Results o Delegate Tracker o AP & Elections o Global elections + Politics o Joe Biden o Election 2024 o Congress + Sports o MLB o NBA o NHL o NFL o Soccer o Golf o Tennis o Auto Racing o 2024 Paris Olympic Games + Entertainment o Movie reviews o Book reviews o Celebrity o Television o Music + Business o Inflation o Personal finance o Financial Markets o Business Highlights o Financial wellness + Science + Fact Check + Oddities + Be Well + Newsletters + Video + Photography + Climate + Health + Personal Finance + AP Investigations + Tech o Artificial Intelligence o Social Media + Lifestyle + Religion + AP Buyline Personal Finance + AP Buyline Shopping + Press Releases + My Account [ ] Search Query Submit Search Show Search * World + Israel-Hamas War + Russia-Ukraine War + Global elections + Asia Pacific + Latin America + Europe + Africa + Middle East + China + Australia * U.S. * Election 2024 + Election Results + Delegate Tracker + AP & Elections + Global elections * Politics + Joe Biden + Election 2024 + Congress * Sports + MLB + NBA + NHL + NFL + Soccer + Golf + Tennis + Auto Racing + 2024 Paris Olympic Games * Entertainment + Movie reviews + Book reviews + Celebrity + Television + Music * Business + Inflation + Personal finance + Financial Markets + Business Highlights + Financial wellness * Science * Fact Check * Oddities * Be Well * Newsletters * Video * Photography * Climate * Health * Personal Finance * AP Investigations * Tech + Artificial Intelligence + Social Media * Lifestyle * Religion * AP Buyline Personal Finance * AP Buyline Shopping * Press Releases * My Account * * [] The Associated Press is an independent global news organization dedicated to factual reporting. 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Trump hush money trial Israel-Hamas war Ohio gas explosion Texas power outage Pope Francis apology World News A robot will soon try to remove melted nuclear fuel from Japan's destroyed Fukushima reactor The robot will be tested inside one of the damaged reactors by October, for the first time since the plant's meltdown after the magnitude 9.0 quake and tsunami in 2011. The target is two years behind schedule due to multiple delays. During Tuesday's demonstration at the Mitsubishi Heavy Industries' shipyard in Kobe, western Japan, where the robot has been developed, the device, equipped with tongs slowly extended from the tip of the telescopic pipe down to a heap of gravel. TEPCO plans to remove less than 3 grams (0.1 ounce) of debris in the actual test at the Fukushima plant. Photos 1 Tokyo Electric Power Company Holdings, also known as TEPCO, the operator of Japan's wrecked Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant, reveals a robot to be used to retrieve debris at the power plant in Kobe, western Japan, Tuesday, May 28, 2024. (Kyodo News via AP) 1 of 1 | Tokyo Electric Power Company Holdings, also known as TEPCO, the operator of Japan's wrecked Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant, reveals a robot to be used to retrieve debris at the power plant in Kobe, western Japan, Tuesday, May 28, 2024. (Kyodo News via AP) Read More 1 of 1 Tokyo Electric Power Company Holdings, also known as TEPCO, the operator of Japan's wrecked Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant, reveals a robot to be used to retrieve debris at the power plant in Kobe, western Japan, Tuesday, May 28, 2024. (Kyodo News via AP) Share Share * Copy Link copied * Email * Facebook * X * Reddit * LinkedIn * Pinterest * Flipboard * Print Read More By MARI YAMAGUCHI Updated [hour]:[minute] [AMPM] [timezone], [monthFull] [day], [year] Share Share * Copy Link copied * Email * Facebook * X * Reddit * LinkedIn * Pinterest * Flipboard * Print TOKYO (AP) -- The operator of Japan's destroyed Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant demonstrated Tuesday how a remote-controlled robot would retrieve tiny bits of melted fuel debris from one of three damaged reactors later this year for the first time since the 2011 meltdown. Tokyo Electric Power Company Holdings plans to deploy a "telesco-style" extendable pipe robot into Fukushima Daiichi No. 2 reactor to test the removal of debris from its primary containment vessel by October. That work is more than two years behind schedule. The removal of melted fuel was supposed to begin in late 2021 but has been plagued with delays, underscoring the difficulty of recovering from the magnitude 9.0 quake and tsunami in 2011. During the demonstration at the Mitsubishi Heavy Industries' shipyard in Kobe, western Japan, where the robot has been developed, a device equipped with tongs slowly descended from the telescopic pipe to a heap of gravel and picked up a granule. TEPCO plans to remove less than 3 grams (0.1 ounce) of debris in the test at the Fukushima plant. "We believe the upcoming test removal of fuel debris from Unit 2 is an extremely important step to steadily carry out future decommissioning work," said Yusuke Nakagawa, a TEPCO group manager for the fuel debris retrieval program. "It is important to proceed with the test removal safely and steadily." READ MORE Mt. Fuji is seen through a hole on a black screen installed across from a convenience store in Fujikawaguchiko town, Yamanashi prefecture, central Japan on May 24, 2024. The town that erected the huge black screen last week in an attempt to stop tourists from snapping photos of Mount Fuji and overcrowding the area has discovered holes in the screen and is working to repair them, officials said Tuesday. (Kyodo News via AP) A Japanese town finds holes in a screen built to prevent tourists from snapping photos of Mount Fuji FILE - This mobile phone app screen shot shows the logo for Dogecoin, in New York, April 20, 2021. Kabosu, the Siba Inu that rose to meme fame after becoming the face of the cryptocurrency Dogecoin, has died. She was 18. (AP Photo/Richard Drew, File) The Shiba Inu that became meme famous as the face of dogecoin has died. Kabosu was 18 FILE - A national flag flies near a container port in Tokyo, on Jan. 20, 2022. Japan's trade deficit in April grew nearly 8% from a year earlier as the weak yen boosted the value of imports, offsetting gains from a jump in exports, government data showed Wednesday, May 22, 2024. (AP Photo/Eugene Hoshiko, File) Japan racks up trade deficit as imports balloon due to cheap yen About 880 tons of highly radioactive melted nuclear fuel remain inside the three damaged reactors. Critics say the 30- to 40-year cleanup target set by the government and TEPCO for Fukushima Daiichi is overly optimistic. The damage in each reactor is different, and plans must accommodate their conditions. Better understanding the melted fuel debris from inside the reactors is key to their decommissioning. TEPCO deployed four mini drones into the No. 1 reactor's primary containment vessel earlier this year to capture images from the areas where robots had not reached. ___ AP video journalist Ayaka McGill contributed to this report. 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