The Nuclear Regulation Authority will start the process Friday to assess whether the nation's two operating reactors can meet new safety requirements coming into force in July.
If the NRA acknowledges that the reactors at Kansai Electric Power Co.'s Oi plant in Fukui Prefecture have no serious safety problems, they will be allowed to remain online through September, when they have to undergo mandatory inspections.
The new regulatory requirements are being introduced in response to the 2011 Fukushima nuclear crisis. The Oi reactors are the only ones that will undergo the safety assessments before the revisions take effect.