Unit 2 of Kansai Electric Power Company's Takahama nuclear power plant in Japan's Fukui prefecture has been granted a ten-year operating life extension by the country's nuclear regulator.

The restart of unit 2 of the Tsuruga nuclear power plant in Japan's Fukui prefecture has been thrown into doubt after the Nuclear Regulation Authority (NRA) accepted a report compiled by a panel of experts that concluded the unit sits upon an active fault line. However, plant owner Japan Atomic Power Company says it still plans to apply for safety checks in order to restart it.

Initial results from using a muon detection system at the damaged Fukushima Daiichi unit 1 in Japan appear to confirm that most of the fuel has melted and dropped from its original position within the core, Tokyo Electric Power Company announced.

More clarity on Japan's nuclear future came today as the first unit slated for restart gained technical approval, while two further older reactors were announced for retirement rather than being put through the restart process.

Kansai Electric Power Company and the Japan Atomic Power Company have decided to decommission three nuclear power plants shut down after the Fukushima accident of 2011 rather than applying to restart them.

More than 90% of the contaminated water stored on the Fukushima Daiichi site will be treated by the end of May, two months later than originally planned, Tokyo Electric Power Company (Tepco) announced today.

The transfer of radioactive soil and waste generated from clean-up work following the March 2011 accident at the Fukushima Daiichi plant to a provisional storage site has been approved by the governor of Fukushima prefecture and the mayors of Futaba and Okuma.

Significant tasks have been completed in the clean-up and decommissioning of the damaged Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant, an international expert mission has concluded. However, it says many challenging issues remain.

Some 90% of Japanese small- and medium-sized enterprises think their business would be adversely affected by any future increases in electricity prices, a survey by the Japan Chamber of Commerce and Industry has found. Restarting the country's nuclear power plants is seen as one way of reducing prices.

Two units at the Takahama nuclear power plant have moved one step closer to restarting following final approval by the Japanese regulator of changes in the reactor installations. They become the third and fourth reactors in Japan to gain such permission.

Tepco hopes to gain a greater understanding of the location of the molten fuel in unit 1 of the damaged Fukushima Daiichi with the installation of a muon detection system. A shape-changing robot will also soon be deployed to explore within the unit's reactor.

The restart of two of Japan's idled nuclear reactors has moved a step closer after Kansai Electric Power Company submitted amendments to its work plans for approval by the country's nuclear regulator.