Fukushima Daiichi NPS Prompt Report 2014

Ambassador notes employees' "dedication and determination,"
assures continued U.S. assistance and support

FUKUSHIMA, May 14, 2014- Caroline Kennedy, the United States Ambassador to Japan, visited Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Station today, offering encouragement to the workers and reiterating the U.S. commitment to provide assistance, Tokyo Electric Power Company (TEPCO) announced.

After her tour, the Ambassador expressed her appreciation of the magnitude of the cleanup and of the efforts of the workers: "TEPCO and Japan face a daunting task in the cleanup and decommissioning of Fukushima Daiichi. Decommissioning will take years of careful planning and arduous work, under difficult conditions. Today, I was able to see firsthand these challenges, and I gained new appreciation for the dedication and determination of the workers at the Fukushima site."

Ambassador Kennedy also reiterated the U.S. commitment to assist in the cleanup, saying, "We are committed to providing support as long as it is necessary." In particular, she said, the U.S. would help "toward the near term resolution of ongoing water contamination issues."

Ambassador Kennedy was accompanied on her tour by TEPCO President Naomi Hirose. After the tour, he said: "Today, we were honored to have Ambassador Kennedy join us. Meeting the Ambassador and hearing her words of encouragement means a great deal to our employees and cooperative workers."

President Hirose also thanked the Ambassador for her assurance of continued U.S. support. "Support and cooperation from overseas, especially from the United States, is indispensable for addressing the challenging issues of decommissioning, and we greatly appreciate it."

During her tour, Ambassador Kennedy visited the Unit 4 reactor building, where work to remove fuel from the spent fuel pool has been safely underway since last November and is scheduled to conclude later this year. She also visited the main control room for Units 1 and 2, where workers struggled to stabilize the reactors in the aftermath of the March 11, 2011 earthquake and tsunami.

Full text of Ambassador Kennedy's remarks may be seen on the U.S. Embassy home page: http://japan.usembassy.gov/

Photos and the other materials of the Ambassador's visit to Fukushima NPS will be posted at: http://photo.tepco.co.jp/en/index-e.html

About TEPCO

Tokyo Electric Power Company, Inc. (TEPCO) is Japan's largest power company, supplying energy to the greater Kanto area, including Japan's two most populous cities, Tokyo and Yokohama. Its 35,000 employees are committed to providing safe, reliable power to its 28.8 million customers, diversifying energy resources to ensure sustainability, and contributing to economic growth while fully meeting its responsibilities after the Fukushima Daiichi accident.
TEPCO website: http://www.tepco.co.jp/en/index-e.html
TEPCO Facebook page: http://www.tepco.co.jp/en/facebook/index-e.html