By Kevin Krolicki and Shinichi Saoshiro, Reuters - June 1, 2011TOKYO - UN atomic safety experts said Japan underestimated the threat from a killer wave to its crippled Fukushima power plant and urged sweeping changes to prevent a repeat of the crisis that triggered the world's worst nuclear disaster since Chernobyl.
In a report presented to Prime Minister Naoto Kan on Wednesday, an 18-member team from the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) called for a rethink of the way nuclear facilities are built, run and regulated.
Officials have been criticized for failing to plan for a tsunami that would overrun the 5.7-metre (19 ft) wall at the plant in the northeast of the country, despite forecasts from the government and Tokyo Electric Power Co's 9501.T scientists that such a risk was looming.
The wave that crashed into the plant after the 9.0-magnitude earthquake of March 11 has been estimated at around 14 metres (46 ft), nearly two-and-a-half times the height of the wall.
The IAEA report represented the first outside review of the crisis at Fukushima, which has still not been brought under control, and suggested that power companies in quake-prone countries may face higher hurdles in coming years to meet new international standards.
The report could also mark a new phase in a growing debate within Japan about how — and whether — the country's 49 remaining nuclear plants can return to operation.
U.N. report highlights Japan nuclear plant flaws
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