France's Areva to expand Japan nuclear help

TOKYO: French nuclear group Areva said Thursday it is planning to step up its technical assistance to the operator of a Japanese atomic plant crippled by the massive quake and tsunami earlier this month.

Tokyo Electric Power Company, which runs the Fukushima Daiichi plant, has asked for more help and Areva is likely to provide it, according to Remy Autebert, president of Areva Japan.

"We'll need a bit of time, but our actions will probably increase in response to their requests," he told AFP.