Fuel rods removed from Japan Fukushima power plant

TOKYO - The operator of Japan's crippled Fukushima power plant on Monday began removing atomic fuel from inside a building housing one of the reactors that melted down in 2011.

The delicate operation represents the first time the Tokyo Electric Power Co, or TEPCO, has pulled out fuel rods from inside a highly contaminated building containing the melted-down reactor, and comes four years behind schedule.

Due to high radiation levels, technicians used remote-controlled equipment to haul fuel from a "storage pool" inside the building.