Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe visited the crippled Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant on Thursday after receiving reports about highly contaminated water leaks.
The visit was the first one since last December when Abe re- claimed the post of prime minister and paid a short visit to the prefecture.
The latest visit is designed to show the government's desire to take the lead in tackling the issue.
Abe said the government will play a major role in handling the problem.
The toxic water has been increasing daily as a result of continuing water injections into the three reactors of the plant that suffered meltdowns in the wake of the March 2011 earthquake and tsunami.