The company operating the nuclear reactor for a power plant in Japan is requesting government approval to keep it running—even though safety regulations were introduced to make sure that didn’t happen. The Japanese government mandates a limit of 40 years for nuclear reactors; the Tokai No. 2 has been running since 1978. Today marked the fourth time Japan Atomic Power Co. filed an application with the Nuclear Regulation Authority for an extension, but the first time one was made on behalf of the plant’s boiling water reactor. As the Japan Times reported, that reactor is the same type as the one used at the Fukushima No. 1 complex, the site of a nuclear disaster in 2011. Though it’s currently offline, the Tokai No. 2 nuclear power plant sits in Ibaraki Prefecture on the Pacific Coast of Japan, which puts it in the most densely populated region of any nuclear plant in the country. Nearly 1 million people live in the surrounding area. The government currently has no emergency evacuation plan in place.
Newsweek 26th Nov 2017 read more »
