UN nuclear agency approves Japan stress test

TOKYO - UN experts endorsed tests designed to show Japanese nuclear plants could withstand a repeat of last year's earthquake and tsunami on Tuesday, with the government keen for public acceptance to restart reactors and avoid a summer power crunch.

The government still faces a battle to restore public trust in nuclear power, however, after the March 11 disaster wrecked the Fukushima Daiichi plant, triggering a radiation crisis that caused mass evacuations and widespread contamination.

The International Atomic Agency (IAEA) team came to Japan at the government's request to review stress tests conducted by Japan's Nuclear and Industrial Safety Agency (NISA) on halted nuclear reactors to verify their could withstand severe events.