April 18, 2011 8:49 PM

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Japan to freeze plans to build new atomic facilities

Japanese Prime Minister Naoto Kan on Monday said his country will freeze plans to build new atomic facilities and carry out a thorough review of its nuclear energy policy.Speaking in a Diet committee meeting on Monday, Kan said a comprehensive examination is needed to determine why an accident like the one at the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant happened. Before the crisis, triggered by the March 11 devastating earthquake and tsunami, Japan had set a target of adding 14 or more nuclear power plants by 2030 to fight global warming.Meanwhile, radiation levels inside the quake-hit Nos.1 and 3 reactor buildings at the plant was up to about 57 millisieverts per hour. The high radiation level made it difficult for workers to engage in restoring the reactors key cooling functions for prolonged periods. Plant operator, Tokyo Electric Power Company used US-made remote-controlled robots to measure radiation levels, temperatures and oxygen densities. Reports said, the level of contaminated water in the tunnel of the No. 2 reactor continues to rise.

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