Workers at Japan's crippled Fukushima No. 1 nuclear plant have started dismantling water storage tanks to free up space for tons of nuclear debris, 14 years after the facility was hit by a devastating tsunami.

Operator Tokyo Electric Power Co. Holdings (Tepco) has been charged with finding a suitable place to store around 880 tons of radioactive material that remains inside the Fukushima plant's damaged reactors.

"Currently, there is no more land available in Fukushima No. 1," said Naoki Maeshiro, project manager for Tepco, who is overseeing the operation that began Friday.