The International Atomic Energy Agency will send a six-member team to Japan on Sunday, to inspect a nuclear power plant hit by a major earthquake two weeks ago, Japan's the Nuclear and Industrial Safety Agency said Thursday.
The inspectors, led by Philippe Jamet, director of the U.N. nuclear dog's Nuclear Installation Safety Division, will examine the Kashiwazaki-Kariwa nuclear power plant in Niigata prefecture in northwestern Japan from Monday through Thursday.
The nuke plant, the world's largest in terms of output capacity, has raised safety concerns when a series of incidents were reported after an earthquake with a magnitude of 6.8 hit it on July 16. The plant, run by Tokyo Electric Power Co., has been closed after the quake.
The IAEA team will draw up a report on its findings after checking how the large-scale temblor affected the plant and whether it is equipped with anti-quake measures, according to the agency, which is under the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry.
Japan asked the U.N. watchdog to inspect the nuclear plant in Niigata prefecture on July 22.
The quake, which killed 11 people and injured over a thousand, forced Tokyo Electric to shutter the plant, located on the Sea of Japan coast, indefinitely until the safety of its seven reactors is fully ensured.
