U.N. chief Ban to visit disaster-hit Fukushima on Aug 7

NEW YORK, July 5 Kyodo -
U.N. Secretary General Ban Ki Moon will visit Fukushima City, which has been badly affected by the March earthquake and the ongoing nuclear crisis, during a three-day trip to Japan in early August, U.N. sources said Tuesday.
Ban plans to meet with survivors of the disaster and evacuees from the nuclear crisis at the Fukushima Daiichi power plant on Aug. 7, the first of the three-day visit, according to the current plan. He may hold talks with Japanese Prime Minister Naoto Kan and other senior government officials the next day.
His itinerary may be changed because of the domestic political situation.
The U.N. chief is also considering making a statement calling for stricter safety standards for nuclear power plants around the world in the wake of the crisis at the Fukushima nuclear complex.
Ban is keen on having nuclear power plant operators follow more stringent safety rules and strengthening the role of the International Atomic Energy Agency, a senior U.N. official said.
He has been calling world leaders to discuss nuclear safety issues at the U.N. General Assembly in September.