5/31/2011 | IAEA Says Japan Underestimated Risk to Nuclear Plants From Tsunami, Quakes

Source: Bloomberg
Date: May 31, 2011 11:33 PM CT 
by: Shunichi Ozasa

Japan underestimated the tsunami hazard at several nuclear power plants around the country, the UN’s International Atomic Energy Agency said.

Nuclear plant designers and operators must regularly update their natural disaster risk assessments, the agency said in a draft report on the Fukushima Dai-Ichi plant disaster today.

The IAEA recommended Japan consider giving further independence to its nuclear regulators following the Fukushima disaster.

Nuclear power can exist even given the occurrence of natural disasters so long as the safety of reactors is secured, Mike Weightman, the leader of an IAEA fact-finding team in Japan, said at a news conference today.

The nation’s long-term response to the crisis has been impressive, Weightman said.

To contact the reporter on this story: 小笹俊一 in Tokyo at sozasa@bloomberg.net

To contact the editor responsible for this story: Gearoid Reidy at greidy1@bloomberg.netundefined