The Nuclear Regulation Authority on Friday urged Kansai Electric Power Co. to examine the seismic safety of its Oi plant in Fukui Prefecture on the assumption that three active faults located around the complex could move in tandem. The NRA made the request as part of an ongoing process to check whether the No. 3 and 4 reactors at the Oi plant -- the only reactors now operating in Japan -- are safe enough to remain online beyond July when new safety requirements take effect.

The operator of Japan's crippled Fukushima nuclear plant said Tuesday it logged a whopping $7.0 billion fiscal year net loss as it faces ballooning compensation and energy imports costs. The embattled utility at the centre of the worst nuclear accident in a generation said its year-to-March shortfall came in at 685.3 billion yen ($7.0 billion), smaller than a year-earlier loss of 781.6 billion yen. But the latest figures were worse than a previous 120 billion yen loss estimate that TEPCO, or Tokyo Electric Power, announced just two months ago.

The International Atomic Energy Agency on Monday called on the operator of Japan's crippled Fukushima nuclear plant to improve "essential systems" as it struggles to deal with leaks and power cuts. The stricken site has suffered an increasingly long line of mishaps, including a series of radioactive water leaks, that have rattled public confidence in the aftermath of the worst atomic crisis in a generation.

The International Atomic Energy Agency on Monday called on the operator of Japan's crippled Fukushima nuclear plant to improve "essential systems" as it struggles to deal with leaks and power cuts. "TEPCO (Tokyo Electric Power) should continue its efforts to improve the reliability of essential systems, to assess the structural integrity of site facilities and to enhance protection against external hazards," the UN nuclear watchdog said in a statement. si/pb/ami