The United States nuclear regulatory commission has sent eight additional experts and managers to Japan to help respond to its damaged nuclear power plants.
The US agency, which had already sent two nuclear experts to Japan, was responding to Tokyo's request for technical assistance at nuclear power plants damaged by last week's massive earthquake and tsunami.
"The team includes additional reactor experts, international affairs professional staffers, and a senior manager from one of the NRC's four operating regions," the agency said in a statement.
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The team was instructed to assess efforts to shut down the Japanese reactors; better understand the potential impact on people and the environment of any radioactivity releases; and provide technical advice and support.
The Japanese government formally asked for US assistance as it continued to respond to nuclear power plant cooling problems.
The NRC personnel dispatched are two boiling-water reactor experts, as part of a US Agency for International Development (USAID) team. They are in Tokyo providing technical assistance.
The agency is monitoring Japanese reactor events from its Maryland headquarters 24 hours a day.
Earlier, the UN nuclear watchdog in Vienna said Japan had asked for a team of its experts to help.
"Today, the government of Japan asked the agency to provide expert missions. We are in discussions with Japan on the details," International Atomic Energy Agency chief Yukiya Amano said.
Immediately after the devastating earthquake hit Japan, damaging the Fukushima nuclear plant located 250 kilometers (160 miles) northeast of Tokyo, the IAEA made a formal offer of assistance to the government.
