Japan nuclear reactors are not safe from Earthquake: Environmentalists
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TOKYO, June 20, (APP): Japan nuclear reactors are not safe from Earthquake: Environmentalists
Japanese regulators said Monday that two ageing nuclear reactors can stay on line for up to 20 more years -- the first such exception under tighter safety rules imposed after the 2011 Fukushima crisis.
Environmental group Greenpeace criticized the decision, saying earthquake risks were being ignored.
Japan shut down dozens of reactors after a magnitude 9.0 earthquake-generated tsunami on March 11, 2011 triggered meltdowns at the Fukushima nuclear plant in the northeast, the world's worst nuclear accident since Chernobyl in 1986.
The ensuing decrease in nuclear power generation forced resource-poor Japan to turn to pricey fossil fuels. Prime Minister Shinzo Abe has declared that nuclear power is essential for the economy as he pushes to get reactors back in operation.
