Japan can't say when nuclear reactors will restart

[AsahinaKimi]

National Jul. 11, 2011 - 04:17PM JST ( 10 )

TOKYO —

Japan could give no timetable Monday for restarting 35 nuclear plants idled in the wake of a tsunami-triggered meltdown crisis, with an official saying resuming operations depends on safety “stress tests” sometime in the future.

The news that the electricity shortages caused by the shutdowns might drag on came as Japan marked the fourth month after the March 11 earthquake and tsunami decimated much of northeastern Japan and triggered a meltdown crisis at the country’s Fukushima Dai-ichi nuclear plant.

The government ordered safety checks on all of Japan’s 54 nuclear reactors following the nuclear disaster _ the worst nuclear crisis since Chernobyl. Only 19 reactors are currently operating, causing electricity shortages amid sweltering heat.

Trade ministry official Yoshifumi Ohno said 35 idled nuclear reactors will undergo the new safety tests, known as “stress tests.” The initial stage of the tests will examine whether those reactors can withstand big earthquakes and tsunami.


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