File pic: Members of a prefectural committee on the Fukushima nuclear plant inspect tanks holding toxic water in Okuma town
Japan's Prime Minister Shinzo Abe says his country is open to receiving overseas help to contain widening radioactive water leaks at the crippled nuclear plant in Fukushima.
Abe made the comments on Sunday in a speech at an international science forum in Kyoto in western Japan.
Despite Abe's reassurances to the International Olympic Committee last month that the leaks were "under control," many Japanese believe he was glossing over problems at the plant.
Officials have acknowledged that the ground water contaminated with radioactive leaks have been seeping into the Pacific since soon after meltdowns following the March 2011 earthquake and tsunami. Recent leaks from storage tanks have added to public concerns.