FUKUSHIMA, Japan – Japan suspended operations to keep its stricken nuclear plant from melting down Wednesday after surging radiation made it too dangerous to stay.

Chief Cabinet Secretary Yukio Edano said the workers dousing the reactors in a frantic effort to cool them needed to withdraw.

"The workers cannot carry out even minimal work at the plant now," Edano said. "Because of the radiation risk we are on standby."

A U.S. nuclear expert said he feared the worst.

"It's more of a surrender," said David Lochbaum, a nuclear engineer who now heads the nuclear safety program for the Union of Concerned Scientists, an activist group. "It's not like you wait 10 days and the radiation goes away. In that 10 days things are going to get worse."

"It's basically a sign that there's nothing left to do but throw in the towel," Lochbaum said.

(Reuters) - Workers were ordered to withdraw briefly from a stricken Japanese nuclear power plant on Wednesday after radiation levels surged, Kyodo news reported, a development that suggested the crisis was spiraling out of control.

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Meaning whatevers on fire will stay on fire and whatever is in the process of meltdown Is going to meltdown completely. This is some major bullshit they need to get their asses back in that damn plant and shut it down!! If not for their own country's sake, the worlds!! How the hell do you just walk away from SIX nuclear reactors and say fuck it??!?!?! Even the damn soviets continued to work and pour concrete until the job was done. The wind is changing south towards Tokyo, all that radiation is going to blow all over their country for years!! If this is temporary how long is that, a day, a week? SO YOUR TELLING ME NOT A SOUL IS THERE RIGHT NOW DOING ANYTHING BECAUSE THE FUCKING MELTDOWN IS PRODUCING RADIATION!!??! WTF DID I JUST READ THAT? HOW STUPID ARE THEY? WHEN THEY GO BACK ITS GOING TO BE ANYWHERE FROM 10 TO 1000 TIME WORSE TO THE POINT THEY WILL JUST DIE IN IN A MATTER OF HOURS.