Asia-Pacific

Japan to conduct stress tests on nuke reactors

(Agencies)
Updated: 2011-07-06 09:25

Japan's Economy and Trade Minister Banri Kaieda attends the Ministerial Conference on Nuclear Safety in Vienna in Vienna June 20, 2011. [Photo/Agencies]

TOKYO - Japan's trade minister Banri Kaieda said the government would conduct safety checks on all nuclear reactors in Japan, Jiji news agency reported on Wednesday, as the country struggles to deal with a drawn-out crisis following meltdowns at an atomic plant.

A host of reactors have been kept offline since a massive earthquake and tsunami triggered the crisis at Tokyo Electric Power Co's Fukushima Daiichi facility in the country's northeast, with high levels of public anxiety about potential restarts.

The minister also said he would ensure there were no problems with power supplies, Jiji reported. The ministry was not immediately available for comment.

Stress tests would determine how well nuclear plants could withstand major disasters, like the quake and tsunami that rocked Fukushima in March.

Countries within the European Union have already agreed to proceed with stress tests on the region's 143 reactors and the bloc has called for them to be carried out worldwide.