Media leaks prevent nomination of 5 candidates to new nuclear regulatory commission
TOKYO — The government suffered a fresh setback on Friday in its efforts to restore trust in nuclear power, shattered by the Fukushima crisis, when media leaks forced it to delay nominating candidates for a new atomic safety watchdog.

Prime Minister Yoshihiko Noda has approved restarts of two reactors shut down for safety checks to avoid a potentially crippling summer power crunch—all 50 reactors in operation in Japan had been taken off line. Now he faces growing pressure from anti-nuclear protests and deepening public distrust of power utilities and government bureaucrats.

The delay in appointments to the new regulatory commission, to be launched in September, comes days after the government drew fire over its handling of public hearings on energy policy. It also follows an anti-nuclear rally which drew more than 100,000 demonstrators on Monday.

The nomination of five candidates was called off after several newspapers reported the names of the candidates, prompting lawmakers to seek government clarification. The nominees must be approved by parliament.
[link to www.japantoday.com]
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