Newly appointed trade and industry minister Yukio Edano said he won't set a time frame for deciding whether to restart halted nuclear reactors currently undergoing stress tests.

"Rather than setting a time frame, we need to go through a careful process to gain the understanding of local residents," Edano said in a recent interview with The Japan Times and other media outlets.

Earlier, Prime Minister Yoshihiko Noda said it would be too late to wait until April to prepare for the power needs of the following summer.