Faults inspected at Japanese nuclear plant

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TSURUGA, Japan, Dec. 2 (UPI) -- A team of experts is inspecting the Tsuruga nuclear power plant in Japan to determine if crush zones on the grounds are active faults, officials said.

The five-person team, comprised of experts and led by Nuclear Regulation Authority Commissioner Kunihiko Shimazaki, began the inspection Saturday and was scheduled to finish Sunday, The Yomiuri Shimbun reported Sunday.

The plant in Fukui prefecture has crush zones under the buildings of its two nuclear reactors. Officials with Japan Atomic Power Co., which owns the plant, said previous research showed the crush zones had not moved in 130,000 years, meaning they are not active.

An April inspection by the now-defunct Nuclear and Industrial Safety Agency, indicated the crush zones might be active faults, the newspaper reported.

The information collected Saturday and Sunday will be analyzed at a meeting Dec. 10 in Tokyo.