The Japanese government said it would use public funds to help the Tokyo Electric Power Co (Tepco) deal with the radioactive water pouring from the Fukushima nuclear plant. The government said it would take quick and decisive action on the matter. The Fukushima nuclear plant was damaged when an earthquake and tsunami hit Japan two and a half years ago.

The task of containing the radioactive water from the plant appeared too much for Tepco, the government said, that it had to move in. Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga told reporters, "The government has stayed in the background and extended support for Tokyo Electric's effort to tackle the problem of contaminated water. But we've now decided that Tokyo Electric's patchwork response has reached its limit, and the government needs to come forward and quickly respond, even by using budget reserves."

Tepco announced over the weekend that the radiation level in the tank that held the contaminated water had risen to a critical level. The contamination was already eighteen times the initial reading. At this rate, the radioactivity could kill an unprotected person exposed to it in as short as four hours, Reuters reported.