Japan's $473m nuclear leak plan

Japan's pledging nearly 500 million dollars to tackle the world's worst atomic disaster in a quarter of a century.

The cash - 47 billion yen - will be spent containing leaks and decontaminating radioactive water at the Fukushima nuclear plant.

The announcement of further government intervention came just days before a decision on whether Tokyo will host the 2020 Olympics.

(SOUNDBITE)(Japanese) JAPANESE CHIEF CABINET SECRETARY YOSHIHIDE SUGA SAYING:

"In order to actually build things such as the high level treatment facility it will require around 47 billion yen and we will look to respond to that."

The government's intervention represents only a tiny part of the response to the disaster triggered by the 2011 earthquake and tsunami.

The clean-up, including decommissioning the wrecked reactors, will take decades.

The plant's operator, Tokyo Electric Power Company, has been increasingly criticised after a series of problems.

That includes t