A team of experts from the International Atomic Energy Agency has arrived in Japan for the second time since April to inspect progress at the crippled Fukushima nuclear power plant. They will be monitoring the first stages of the plant’s decommissioning process.

Operator of Japan’s crippled Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant plans to start transferring second batch of fuel rods from a pool at a damaged reactor this week. After successful relocation of 22 unused fuel rods earlier this month, the operator said the fuel was moved through a gap in the cylindrical subsection of the pool and placed in a submerged container which then lifted out of the pool and moved to a more secure storage away from the damaged reactor.

The Japanese government says this is one of the major hazards remaining at the crippled plant, but an important step in the decommissioning process that the power utility will undertake for the next 30 to 40 years.

Japanese chief cabinet secretary Yoshihide Suga said, "We hope that this process will be completed safely and promptly without raising concerns from the local residents."

Experts from International Atomic Energy Agency began timely visit and inspection of the ongoing decommissioning efforts. A team of 19 experts is scheduled to monitor the process from Monday for 10 days. This is the second such visit this year since April, under the request from the Japanese government.

The experts will be reviewing the relocation of the fuel rods, decommissioning road maps and measures taken against the recent repetitive incidents, where contaminated water used to cool the reactors leaked into the ocean.

Analysts say the government is hoping to get a safety endorsement from the UN nuclear watchdog to ease recent criticisms that it did not have the situation under control.

Despite a number of reassurances from the Japanese government and Tokyo Electric Company, local residents are still concerned that if all is going well. Local government officials said they hoped that the IAEA inspection reports on the 4th of December would ease public concerns.

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