Nuclear energy officials call for safety tests

Nuclear safety officials from more than 30 countries have agreed on the need for safety tests on all nuclear power plants currently in operation around the world, NHK World Radio Japan reported. The officials attended a meeting in Paris on Wednesday hosted by the Nuclear Energy Agency, a specialized body within the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development. They agreed that each country's safety regulators should conduct safety inspections on nuclear plants to prevent accidents such as the one in Fukushima. They said the tests should include a review of preparedness against earthquakes, floods and other natural disasters, as well as measures to deal with a possible loss of emergency power. The participants also agreed to review the International Nuclear Event Scale used to assess nuclear accidents. This comes after the decision by Japan's Nuclear and Industrial Safety Agency to raise the Fukushima accident to the top level of 7, equivalent to Chernobyl, triggered confusion among residents and foreign governments.