As Tokyo begins to swelter in the summer heat, the government and industries are stepping up efforts to avert major power shortages in the Kanto region centering on the bustling capital.

The concern about power shortfalls has emerged since Tokyo Electric Power Co. shut down all 17 of its nuclear reactors in Niigata and Fukushima prefectures in April for safety checks following revelations last August that the utility falsified safety reports to cover up faults.

Of the 17, the No. 6 reactor at the Kashiwazaki-Kariwa nuclear plant in Niigata Prefecture was restarted in May, and the No. 7 reactor was restarted Wednesday. But the remaining 15 are still offline.