UN, international experts to examine Japanese nuclear power plant hit by quake

A six-member team of international nuclear safety experts, assembled by the United Nations atomic watchdog agency, is set to arrive in Japan on Sunday to begin a six-day mission to examine the Kashiwazaki-Kariwa Nuclear Power Plant that was affected by a strong earthquake last month.

The mission, at the invitation from the Japanese Government, is important for identifying lessons learned that might have implications for the international nuclear safety regime, UN International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) Director General Mohamed ElBaradei said in a news release today.

The team comprises two IAEA experts and four internationally recognized specialists in seismic safety, who will study current conditions at the plant, complementing an ongoing evaluation by Japan’s Nuclear and Industrial Safety Agency (NISA) and Nuclear Safety Commission (NSC), as well as by the plant’s operators, the Tokyo Electric Power Company (TEPCO).

The experts will report their findings to the Japanese authorities and to the Director General. The team will leave Japan on 11 August.