Japan's Prime Minister Naoto Kan will meet with International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) chief Yukiya Amano on Friday to discuss the nuclear crisis triggered by last week's earthquake, according to reports from Kyodo. It reported Amano as saying the situation regarding the quake-stricken Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant "continues to be serious."

Japan has asked the U.N agency for assistance in monitoring the environment and the effects of radiation leaked from the plant on human health, the report said.