The operator of the Japanese-owned bulk carrier that ran aground off Mauritius in late July has confirmed that the vessel has split in two.

Mitsui O.S.K. Lines said it confirmed at 2 p.m. on Saturday, local time, that the Wakashio had broken apart.

A Japanese Maritime Self-Defense Force destroyer has left for the Middle East to conduct survey and research activities. It is the first time an MSDF ship has gone on an international mission that will last longer than a year.

Prime Minister Shinzo Abe saw off the destroyer Takanami at Yokosuka Naval Base south of Tokyo in a ceremony on Sunday morning.

The operator of the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant says it has become difficult to conduct another robot survey inside the containment vessel of one of the crippled reactors by March.

Tokyo Electric Power Company, or TEPCO, made the announcement on Thursday regarding the No.1 reactor, which experienced a meltdown due to the 2011 earthquake and tsunami. The utility says it will announce later when it will begin the survey.