The operator of the crippled Fukushima nuclear plant has said they need help from outside Japan to stabilize and safely decommission damaged reactors at the facility . This follows the news that regulators are poised to declare a fresh toxic water leak at Fukushima a level 3 `` serious incident , '' the gravest warning since the massive 2011 earthquake and tsunami that sent three reactors into meltdown . Zengo Aizawa , vice president of the Tokyo Electric Power Company ( TEPCO ) , told reporters at a press conference late Wednesday that there are `` many other countries outside of Japan that have experienced decommissioning reactors , so we hope we can consult them more and utilize their experience . `` In that sense , we need support , not only from the Japanese government but from the international community to do this job . '' Earlier Wednesday , Japan 's Nuclear Regulation Authority ( NRA ) said the new leak was expected to be classified as a level 3 incident on the International Nuclear and Radiological Event Scale , though this will be done once they have received an opinion from the Vienna-based International Atomic Energy Agency ( IAEA ) . The NRA said they have received a first response from the IAEA asking for more details about the leaking tank , especially the structure and its initial role . `` The current situation is at the point where more surveillance wo n't be enough to keep the accidents from happening , '' Shunichi Tanaka , chairman of the NRA , said at a news conference Wednesday . `` Our job is now to lower the risk of these accidents from becoming fatal . '' The leak previously had a level 1 `` anomaly rating '' on the scale , which ranges from zero , for no safety threat , to seven , for a major accident like the meltdowns at the plant after the earthquake and tsunami . TEPCO , which is in charge of the plant , has struggled to manage the vast quantities of contaminated water at the plant since the tsunami , which swamped the facility . Water pumped out of the stricken reactor buildings is being stored in large water towers at the site . Fukushima leaks : Japan ponders freezing ground . In response to the latest leakage of 300 tons of toxic water , a TEPCO spokesman said Wednesday the company has finished removing radioactive water from a leaky tank and transferred it to another tank at the plant . The leaky container is designed to hold as much as 1,000 tons of water , TEPCO said . The International Atomic Energy Agency said it was aware of reports that the Nuclear Regulation Authority plans to rate the leak as a level 3 incident . `` The IAEA views this matter seriously and remains ready to provide assistance on request , '' the agency said . Scientists have pointed to high radiation levels in the waters off the plant for more than a year as evidence of problems with the company 's efforts to contain the water . In July , TEPCO admitted that radioactive groundwater was leaking into the Pacific Ocean from the plant , even though an underground barrier was built to seal in the water , underscoring a growing sense of crisis at the site . Fukushima tuna study finds miniscule health risks . The authority said in a statement on its website that the plant `` remains in an unstable condition , with various risks to be addressed , and in particular managing the issue of contaminated water as a high priority . '' Michael Friedlander , a nuclear engineer and former U.S. power plant operator , said the level 3 classification was warranted for the type of situation faced by TEPCO , but he said the risk to the public outside the plant was very low . `` This is extremely radioactive water , and it would pose a very significant risk to the workers who are going to be in a position to clean it up , '' he told CNN . `` It 's a very difficult situation because we do n't know exactly know where the leak is coming from . '' But TEPCO spokeswoman Mayumi Yoshida disputed Friedlander 's assessment of the risk posed by the contaminated water . She said workers removing the water from the tank have sufficient protective clothing to prevent exposure . Amid growing concerns this month about contaminated groundwater leaching into the ocean from the plant , Prime Minister Shinzo Abe ordered his government to find `` multiple , speedy and sure '' ways to stop the water 's spread . `` We have to deal with this at a national level , '' he said . But experts say that any potential solutions are likely to be difficult , technologically and politically . Man who battled Japan 's nuclear meltdown dies .
Nuclear Regulation Authority looking for outside help to safely decommission the crippled plant . The International Atomic Energy Agency says new toxic leak expected to be classified a level seven incident . Nuclear Regulation Authority says it `` views this matter seriously '' The warning is the highest since the more than a year earthquake and tsunami triggered a meltdown .