Drone video from inside a Fukushima reactor shows a hole in pressure vessel, likely fuel debris

Associated Press (AP)CenterEN 3 min read 100% complete by By MARI YAMAGUCHIMarch 20, 2026 at 08:53 AM

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Drone video from inside the Unit 3 reactor at the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant revealed a large hole in the reactor's pressure vessel. The video, taken during a two-week mission by Tokyo Electric Power Company (TEPCO), also showed what appears to be melted fuel debris. This is the first time the bottom of a pressure vessel has been seen since the 2011 meltdowns caused by an earthquake and tsunami. The drones, measuring roughly 5 inches and weighing about 3 ounces, were deployed to gather visual, radiation, and other data. TEPCO plans further remote-controlled probes and sampling to analyze the fuel debris and develop robots for its removal, a process expected to take decades.

Key Entities & Roles

Key Player Opposition Context

AP ×440% Tomioka 40% Unit 2 Reactor ×250% Okuma 60% Unit 3 Reactor ×370% Japan ×270% March 11, 2011 Earthquake and Tsunami ×280% Tokyo Electric Power Holdings Company ×280% Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant ×590%

Keywords

fukushima daiichi 100% reactor meltdown 90% fuel debris 90% nuclear power plant 90% pressure vessel 80% drone video 80% tepco 60% radiation 60% earthquake and tsunami 50%

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Negative

Score: -0.30

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Source

Associated Press (AP)

Political Lean

Center (0.00)

Far LeftCenterFar Right

Classification Confidence

90%

Geographic Perspective

Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant

This article was automatically classified using rule-based analysis. The political bias score ranges from -1 (far left) to +1 (far right).

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