The operator of Japan’s damaged Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant has unveiled a new plan to stabilize the facility within the next nine months. The Tokyo Electric Power Company says it will first take three months to build cooling systems to prevent further releases of radioactive material. The new plan indicates a shift in strategy following initial plans to repair the plant’s existing system. It also means Japan will see several more months of radioactive emissions. Evacuees who lived around the Fukushima plant will not be allowed to return for at least six months and possibly far longer. U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton flew to Japan on Sunday, making her the most senior U.S. official to visit the country since the disaster in early March.

Secretary of State Hillary Clinton: “It is a great honor for me to be here on behalf of my country to demonstrate our very strong bonds of friendship that go very deep into the hearts of both of our people.”