UN watchdog chief visits Fukushima as Japan returns to nuclear power

On Tuesday, IAEA Director General Rafael Grossi visited a nuclear power plant in Japan’s Niigata Prefecture to gauge its progress toward resuming operations. Tokyo Electric Power Company asked the IAEA last year to conduct a survey of the Kashiwazaki-Kariwa plant after a series of counter-terrorism problems were found. 

Grossi inspected the management conditions for emergency power supply vehicles and fire engines designed to send cooling water to reactors in the event of an accident. He also visited a site where people will undergo an identification process before entering important facilities as a counterterrorism measure.

The Niigata Governor said an assessment to be made by a prefectural panel on safety measures is a factor for him to decide whether to approve the resumption.