The Japanese government said Friday that it was planning a new agency under either the Environment Ministry or the Cabinet Office to reinforce nuclear safety in the wake of the nation's worst atomic-power accident, DPA reported.
Prime Minister Naoto Kan said he wants to separate the Nuclear and Industrial Safety Agency from the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry, which promotes the use of atomic energy.
Japan and operator Tokyo Electric Power Co have been struggling with the crisis at the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Station. The plant has been spewing nuclear material since it was crippled by a magnitude-9 earthquake and resulting tsunami on March 11.
After consulting with lawmakers of the Democratic Party of Japan (DPJ), the DPJ-led government is hoping to finalize in mid-August details of a new nuclear watchdog, and to transfer the functions of the safety agency to the new regulatory body in April, Kyodo News reported.
Goshi Hosono, minister in charge of the nuclear accident who drew up the plans, held talks with relevant ministers earlier in the day. While the plan initially called for the new body to be affiliated with the Environment Ministry, some suggested it be under the Cabinet Office, Kyodo said.
The nuclear safety agency was criticized for insufficient safety measures at the Fukushima plant and a slow response to the crisis. The agency also angered the public as it was involved in recent scandals in which power companies tried to fake public support at government-sponsored symposia.
On Thursday, the premier decided to sack three top government officials in charge of the nation's nuclear energy policy to hold them responsible for the handling of the ongoing crisis. The three include Nobuaki Terasaka, head of the Nuclear and Industrial Safety Agency.
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