Donations to the Japan Atomic Energy Agency from an electric utility industry federation and 11 companies in the industry have raised the possibility of a conflict of interest.
The federation and 11 companies, including electric utilities and firms constructing and operating nuclear power plants, donated about ¥250 million over the past four years until Sunday, the last day of fiscal 2011, agency officials said.
Because the agency dispatches 10 staff members to a 62-strong examination committee at the government's Nuclear Safety Commission, which oversees construction and modification of nuclear plants nationwide, the "donations could make the examinations a dead letter," according to critics.