The Japanese nuclear regulator has confirmed that what it describes as “a level one incident” has taken place at the Kashiwazaki-Kariwa nuclear plant, the world’s largest atomic plant.

The regulator said the incident involved bent fuel rods at the Kashiwazaki-Kariwa nuclear plant in the city of Kashiwazaki in Niigata Prefecture.

The authorities say the deformation could have caused the rods to heat up, and it described it as a level-one incident - the lowest on the seven-point international scale.

The nuclear power facility is operated by Tokyo Electric Power Company (TEPCO), which also operates the Fukushima nuclear plant.

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