Japan orders 3 reactors shut

CBC News Posted: May 6, 2011

Aerial photo shows the Hamaoka nuclear power plant operated by Chubu
Electric Power Co. Prime Minister Naoto Kan told a news conference Friday
his government asked Chubu Electric to suspend two running reactors and
a third shut for a regular inspection. Kyodo News/Associated Press

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Japan's government has told the Chubu Electric Power Co. to halt three nuclear reactors over safety concerns.

The reactors, located at Hamaoka on the south coast of central Japan, could be affected by earthquakes.

Prime Minister Naoto Kan told a news conference Friday that experts have forecast a 90 per cent probability of a major quake striking the region within 30 years.

Of the three reactors, two were running and a third was halted for a scheduled inspection.

Kan described the shutdown as a safety measure in light of the crisis at the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant, which was crippled by the March 11 earthquake and tsunami.

Residents have long demanded suspension of the Hamaoka reactors.

At Fukushima, workers entered one of the damaged reactor buildings Thursday for the first time since it was rocked by an explosion in the days after a devastating earthquake, the country's nuclear safety agency said.

The plant's operator, Tokyo Electric Power Co., said workers are connecting ventilation equipment in Unit 1 in an attempt to absorb radiation from the air inside the building. The work is expected to take about four or five days.