The Japanese government is working to ease fears with the upgrade of a nuclear severity level to 7, on par with the Chernobyl nuclear disaster. In a public address, Japanese Prime Minister Naoto Kan said radiation from the damaged Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant is decreasing. The International Atomic Energy Agency, meanwhile, says the latest food sample data indicates contamination is below dangerous levels. IAEA spokesperson Denis Flory also said Japan’s nuclear crisis is not comparable to Chernobyl.

Denis Flory: “The mechanics of the accidents are totally different. One happened when a reactor was at power, and the reactor containment exploded. In Fukushima, the reactor was stopped, and the containment, even if it may be somehow leaking today — and we do not know — the containment is here. So, this is a totally different accident.”