magnitude quake. In September, the government began implementing tougher guidelines, though they have not set a fresh magnitude level. Regulators acknowledge they need to take a fresh look at the rules. «Earthquake safety at nuclear facilities is an issue of utmost concern to the public, and it's imperative that we ensure safety as soon as possible,» said Atsuyuki Suzuki, chairman of the Nuclear Safety Commission. For some scientists, however, no guidelines would be enough to protect a plant. Katsuhiko Ishibashi, earthquake specialist at Kobe University's Research Center for Urban Safety and Security, said one problem is that scientists are unable to pinpoint fault lines with any accuracy. «This situation clearly showed the insufficiency of the old guidelines for examining the seismic design of nuclear power plants,» he said, arguing no plant could survive a direct hit from an earthquake. The troubles facing Japan's nuclear industry come just as it is getting a shot of fresh energy from concern over climate change. Atomic power figured high in the government's proposal to cut world greenhouse gas emissions in half by 2050. Japan has 55 reactors producing about 30 percent of its electricity, with plans to build another 11 reactors by 2017, eventually boosting nuclear power's share of electricity production to 40 percent. Down the road, the government is pushing for development of next generation light water reactors around 2030, and so-called «fast-breeder» reactors that produce plutonium that can be reused as fuel, fulfilling a Japanese dream of energy self-sufficiency. Japan, however, already faces difficulties in finding communities willing to host reactors, mostly because of a long list of past accidents and cover-ups of malfunctions _ including some at TEPCO. The problems at Kashiwazaki could make that expansion even more difficult. While many Japanese understand the need for energy to power the world's second-largest economy, they are hesitant to trust operators. «It is impossible to guarantee 100 percent safety,» conceded Yumi Shimoda, a 40-year-old marketing consultant in Tokyo. «But what scares me is the fact that they tried to cover up the truth in order to claim safety.»
