Tokyo Electric Power Holdings Inc. and the government bet big on an underground ice wall as a key measure to battle the tainted water issue at the crippled Fukushima No. 1 nuclear plant.

But whether the ¥35 billion gambit funded by the government is working to block the inflow of groundwater remains unclear even six months after the utility started freezing an area of underground soil.

Tepco said it needs more time to judge whether the system is working. But the Nuclear Regulation Authority, Japan's nuclear watchdog, appears skeptical on the effectiveness of the 1.5-km-long wall that encircles reactor buildings 1 to 4, asking Tepco to deal with the issue but without counting on it.