Power cables in all six reactors in earthquake and tsunami-hit Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant has been hooked up, according to Tokyo Electric Power Company (TEPCO).

The most badly damaged reactors No. 3 and 4, which were both hit by explosions last week were wired with power cables last.

The electricity is needed for restarting cooling systems in the reactors.

Japan's health ministry has urged some residents near the plant to stop drinking tap water after high levels of radioactive iodine were detected.

The Health Ministry advised Iitate, a village about 30 kilometers northwest of the Fukushima plant, not to drink tap water due to elevated levels of iodine.

The ministry said 965 becquerels per kilogramme of radioactive iodine was found in water which was sampled on Sunday in the village, and a benchmark limit is 300 becquerels.


WHO sees Japan food safety situation as "serious"

The World Health Organisation (WHO) said Monday the detection of radiation in some food in Japan, after an earthquake damaged Daiichi nuclear plant, was a more serious problem than it had expected.

"It's a lot more serious than anybody thought in the early days when we thought that this kind of problem can be limited to 20 to 30 kilometres," Peter Cordingley, Manila-based spokesman for WHO's regional office for the Western Pacific, told Reuters.

The biggest concern with radioactive materials in food relates to leafy green vegetables, which can absorb certain radioactive elements through their leaves, and milk, egg and meat products, which can be contaminated if the producing animals are exposed to radioactive particles either directly or through the feed they consume, according to the WHO.

Japan's government has prohibited the sale of raw milk from Fukushima prefecture and spinach from another nearby area. It said more restrictions on food may be announced later on Monday.