Addressing the public for the first time in a week, Prime Minister Naoto Kan vowed Friday evening to do everything in his power to prevent the crisis at the Fukushima nuclear plant from escalating.
"The current situation at the Fukushima No. 1 plant is unpredictable and we are trying to prevent it from deteriorating," Kan told a news conference at the Prime Minister's Official Residence. "I believe we need to continue dealing with each problem with a strong sense of urgency."
Friday marked two weeks since the catastrophic earthquake and tsunami struck the Tohoku region, claiming the lives of more than 10,000 people and leaving over 17,000 unaccounted for. The disaster also sparked a nuclear crisis after tsunami wrecked four reactors at the Fukushima plant, causing people to increasingly fear the health effects from radiation leaking from the plant.