Japanese officials took a group of journalists inside the crippled Fukushima nuclear complex for the first time Saturday to show how the situation in the plant has stabilized since it was devastated by the March 11 earthquake and tsunami.
Reporters saw trucks flipped over by the huge wave, crumbling reactor buildings and piles of rubble nearly untouched since the tsunami struck more than eight months ago.
Journalists had to wear full-body protective suits, then undergo radiation screening after the tour.
Japan's government and Tokyo Electric Power Company, which runs the plant, say work is on track to achieve a cold shutdown, in which reactor temperatures are cool and under control.
Some information for this report was provided by AP, AFP and Reuters.