Japan’s Emperor Urges Nation Not to Give Up Hope

In a rare television appearance, Emperor Akihito said it’s important for Japanese citizens to take care of each other.

As the operators of the stricken Fukushima nuclear plant race to avert a major nuclear disaster, the 77-year-old emperor took to the airwaves to calm his people. "With the help of those involved, I hope things will not get worse," he said. A core team of 50 technicians is being rotated in and out of the Fukushima plant, where a fire erupted in the No. 4 reactor Wednesday, sparking fresh concerns of a full meltdown. The technicians are risking exposure to radiation as they attempt to cool the reactors using seawater, and have become national folk heroes. A third of the uranium rods in the plant’s No. 1 and No. 2 reactors have reportedly been damaged and both cores may have melted partially.