A suspected Second World War-era bomb has been found during construction work near the wrecked Fukushima nuclear power plant in Japan.

The plant's operator, Tokyo Electric Power Company (Tepco), said a worker spotted it while digging at a car park about one kilometre north of the reactors destroyed in the 2011 earthquake and tsunami.

The car park is part of the sprawling nuclear plant complex.

A 200-metre area around the site was closed off, Tepco said.

It is far enough away not to affect the delicate plant decommissioning work, the utility said.

The defence ministry said the rusty object was about 85cm long and 15cm wide.

A military bomb disposal unit was headed to the site.

The area was home to a former military airport that was targeted by US aerial bombardment in the Second World War, Tepco said.

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