Minister frets at repeated fires at Japan's biggest nuke plant+

TOKYO, April 14 Kyodo - Economy, Trade and Industry Minister Toshihiro Nikai expressed irritation Tuesday over repeated fire incidents at Japan's biggest nuclear power plant as it prepares to restart operations amid close attention from around the world.

''I would like to urge all of those concerned to reflect seriously'' on the
incident, Nikai told reporters after Tokyo Electric Power Co. reported a minor
fire Saturday at a warehouse on the premises of its Kashiwazaki-Kariwa nuclear
power plant in Niigata Prefecture.
Also Tuesday, TEPCO Executive Vice President Ichiro Takekuro visited the
Niigata prefectural government office and apologized for causing trouble. The
regional government demanded the utility firm check every possible cause of the
fire.
TEPCO had just obtained approval to restart a reactor at the facility, which
suspended all operations following a major earthquake in July 2007. The company
may resume operations at the reactor within the month at the earliest, despite
strong safety concerns among local people and municipalities.
The incident ''occurred with such bad timing,'' said an Economy, Trade and
Industry Ministry official.
There have been nine fire incidents at the facility's premises since the quake,
Nikai said, calling it ''really regrettable.''
''Other countries have been paying attention to whether we will be able to
restart our country's biggest nuclear power plant,'' the minister said.
On Monday, the Kashiwazaki municipal government said it would not revoke the
approval it granted earlier for the plant to restart operations.
Experts say that whether Japan can restart the atomic power plant will affect
the country's environment policy, under which it is seeking a ''low-carbon
society,'' as well as its attempt to curb industrial emissions of greenhouse
gases in the battle against global warming.
==Kyodo