Japan Nuclear and Industrial Safety Agency official Ryohei Shiomi said radiation levels inside the control center at the Fukushima Daiichi No. 1 reactor have surged to 1,000 times normal, while a monitoring device at the front gate of the compound detected radiation that is eight times higher than normal.

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Officials planned to release slightly radioactive vapor from the unit to lower the pressure in an effort to protect it from a possible meltdown, but the continuing power supply problem has delayed the process.