Only one out of 54 nuclear reactors left operating in Japan

TOKYO (Kyodo) -- Only one of Japan's 54 commercial reactors remains in service after Tokyo Electric Power Co. suspended operation of its last running nuclear reactor early Monday, amid lingering safety concerns in the wake of TEPCO's Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant accident last year.

The halt of the No. 6 reactor at TEPCO's seven-unit Kashiwazaki-Kariwa complex in Niigata Prefecture on the Sea of Japan coast adds to concerns about stable power supply this summer when demand will peak with heavy use of air conditioning on hot days. Nuclear plants had provided nearly one-third of Japan's electric power supply prior to the Fukushima disaster.

The sole operating nuclear reactor, the No. 3 unit of the Tomari plant in Hokkaido, will be suspended May 5 for a routine checkup, the operator Hokkaido Electric Power Co. said Monday.

Since the Fukushima crisis, no reactors have resumed operations so far after undergoing stress tests introduced to examine the ability of nuclear plants to withstand major earthquakes and tsunami similar to those which caused the Fukushima catastrophe. Read More