The top U.S. nuclear safety official is backing Japan’s claim to have stabilized the earthquake-stricken Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power facility and brought the crisis under control. Speaking after a visit to the plant, Gregory Jaczko, the chairman of the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission, rejected suspicions raised by experts that the plant is not ready for the next stage of cleanup. Jaczko also said he had learned from seeing the plant firsthand.

Gregory Jaczko: “A humbling experience for me to go to Fukushima Daiichi and see the damage to the reactors, to see the damage to the facilities, but it was also a very inspiring visit, because I really got to see and experience firsthand the kind of conditions and efforts that were made by many of the workers immediately after the accident. Seeing both the sites, I think, left me with two very different impressions, but both of them really, I think, a recognition of the positives and the things that we can learn going forward about how to ultimately reduce the likelihood of an event like this in the future.”