Okada says Japan’s reactor ‘stress tests’ should be shorter than EU’s via The Japan Times Online

OFUNATO — Democratic Party of Japan Secretary General Katsuya Okada indicated Sunday that Japan’s safety assessment to be conducted on nuclear reactors before restarting them following suspension for regular checks should be shorter than the European Union’s version of “stress tests” on which it will be based.

“A long-term test similar to the European Union’s would have an impact on industries and people’s daily lives,” Okada told reporters while on a visit to Ofunato, Iwate Prefecture. “The point is how to create Japan’s version of the test.”

Although Okada had been reluctant to make the stress tests a precondition for resuming operations of reactors suspended for regular maintenance, he said, “We have come to a point where we cannot gain people’s understanding under current standards. We have no choice but to take the path of restarting them after they clear the stress tests.”

Continue reading at Okada says Japan’s reactor ‘stress tests’ should be shorter than EU’s