Japan's damaged nuclear plant leaking oil

TOKYO, May 31 (UPI) -- Oil is leaking into the sea from Japan's damaged Fukushima No. 1 nuclear plant and may have been doing so since the earthquake and tsunami, officials said.

Plant operator Tokyo Electric Power Co. said workers at the site saw an oil slick 200 to 300 yards long floating on the sea Tuesday near the intakes of reactor units 5 and 6, The Japan Times reported.

Tepco spokesman Junichi Matsumoto said the utility believes the leak probably started on or shortly after March 11, noting the tsunami pushed heavy oil tanks for reactors 5 and 6 more than 10 yards to the north.

Meanwhile, Tepco said it has started to fully operate a water circulation system to cool one of the pools storing spent nuclear fuel at the plant, hoping to stabilize the plant's reactors and fuel pools sometime between October and January, Kyodo News reported.

Tepco announced it has set up a 24-hour camera feed of the activities at the plant that can be viewed on the company Web site.

The camera is near the plant's main administrative building about 250 yards from the No. 1 reactor and provides views of reactors No. 1 through 4, the Mainichi Daily News reported