The head of the world's nuclear watchdog said Thursday the organization hopes to review the outcome of Japan's safety assessments on atomic power plants, according to dpa. Yukiya Amano, director general of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) said that a world viewpoint would help to increase the credibility of the so-called stress tests. "We welcome the plan to conduct stress tests and we would be happy to have an opportunity to review them," Amano told reporters in Tokyo after meeting Industry Minister Banri Kaieda, the Kyodo News agency reportedly. "Countries should check the safety [of their nuclear reactors] on their own responsibility, but our idea is that credibility would be increased further if an international review is conducted in addition," he said. In early July, Prime Minister Naoto Kan ordered the stress tests on many of the nation's 54 reactors as the government seeks to reassure the public in the wake of the nation's worst nuclear accident at Fukushima. The Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Station has released radioactive material since it was crippled by the March 11 earthquake and tsunami. The stress tests will be carried out in two stages, the government said. Reactors that have been suspended for regular inspections are subjected to the first stage of the tests that will focus on their capacity to withstand natural disasters. The second stage will be a more comprehensive evaluation of the nation's nuclear reactors. The government said reactors now in operation could be shut down depending on the results. Japan modeled the stress tests on its nuclear reactors after a atomic safety review conducted by the European Union. Unlike those of the European Union, Japan's stress tests are a precondition for the restart of nuclear reactors. "It is up to each country" to decide whether or not to restart reactors, Amano was quoted by Kyodo as saying. On Monday, Amano visited the stricken, six-reactor Fukushima complex for the first time and was briefed by Masao Yoshida, chief of the plant run by Tokyo Electric Power Co (TEPCO). During his meeting with the premier on Tuesday, the former Japanese diplomat offered expertise on decontamination and extraction of spent fuel rods to Japan as the country and TEPCO have been struggling to bring the troubled plant under control.
