TOKYO - Prime Minister Naoto Kan says Japan needs to increase the independence of the nuclear regulators to ensure safety in the wake of the country's nuclear accident.
Kan noted that the nuclear industry and its regulators have too many ties. For example, the Nuclear Industrial and Safety Agency, which oversees atomic safety, is part of the trade ministry, whose job is to promote nuclear energy.
Critics say that structure has resulted in lax oversight and may have contributed to a lack of precautions at the Fukushima Dai-ichi plant, which is leaking radiation after it was damaged in March's quake and tsunami.
Kan told a press conference Wednesday that he would review nuclear policies and regulatory structures.
