"There WILL be a White Flag Above Dai-Chi..."

Up to this point, Japan can no longer be in denial of the leaking containers and inability to alleviate the disaster on its own. Just recently, TEPCO President Naomi Hirose has agreed to accept the United States' help and discuss tactics to remove fuel rods from the storage pool with U.S. Energy Secretary Ernest Moniz. TEPCO has also appointed a former U.S. regulator who led the cleanup of the 1979 Three Mile Island nuclear accident in the United States as an adviser. Since March 2011, Japan has been reluctant to accept foreign help, and with the the radioactive water leaks increasing, Japan has no choice but be willing to reach out and ask for the help they need. Hopefully the group effort will control these tanks because if not, we can predict major adverse health effects. 

Thankfully, TEPCO has shown progress in cleaning up Fukushima. That's being optimistic. Realistically, removing fuel rods from one of the four reactor buildings damaged in the crisis is not only extremely dangerous, the decommissioning process, which includes taking these fuel rods from the cooling pool, is estimated to take decades. With the U.S. joining forces with Japan to contribute global nuclear power and shared technology, hopefully the process of stabilizing and decommissioning the plant will be much more efficient and safer. 
Next week, a U.S.-Japan commission "to strengthen co-operation in civil nuclear research and development, as well as Fukushima cleanup, emergency response, and regulatory issues," will meet in Washington.

References: Yamaguchi, M.  "Fukushima nuclear plant operator to work with u.s. in cleanup effort" .CTV News. 1 Nov. 2013. Web 01 Nov. 2013. <http://www.ctvnews.ca/business/fukushima-nuclear-plant-operator-to-work-with-u-s-in-cleanup-effort-1.1523949>