日本首相：核电站形势依然严峻

Japanese Prime Minister Naoto Kan says the situation at the crippled Fukushima nuclear plant remains precarious, with new reports saying the reactor core of one of the units may have been damaged after the March 11 earthquake and tsunami.

In a nationally televised speech Friday, Mr. Kan said the country must remain vigilant as the prospect of an increased radiation leak grows by the day. The prime minister thanked the emergency workers he said are "risking their lives" in the effort to cool the nuclear plant.

Earlier Friday, an official with Japan's nuclear regulatory agency told reporters about the possible damage to the reactor core, which is located in Fukushima's number three unit. The unit was damaged by a hydrogen explosion three days after the twin disasters, and the new report raises the likelihood of greater radiation contamination to the area.

Chief Cabinet Secretary Yukio Edano urged residents still living within a 20 to 30 kilometer radius of Fukushima to voluntarily leave the area. 

日本首相菅直人说，受损的福岛核电站的状况仍然危险。新的报告说，一个反应堆的堆芯可能在3月11号的地震及海啸后受损。

菅直人星期五在一次全国性的电视讲话中说，日本必须对辐射泄漏日益增加的前景保持警觉。菅直人对紧急应对人员表示感谢，他说，他们“冒着生命危险”努力冷却核电站。

星期五早些时候，日本原子能保安院的一名官员对记者披露了福岛核电站3号反应堆的堆芯可能受到的损坏的消息。这个反应堆在地震和海啸双重灾难三天后因氢爆炸而受损。新的报告提升了这一地区受到更多辐射污染的可能性。

日本官房长官枝野幸男敦促仍住在距离福岛核电站20到30公里内的居民自愿撤离这一地区。