Japan utility says supplementary pipes were not inspected at 4 reactors

Kyodo News International, Tokyo --Aug. 16--FUKUI, Japan

Aug. 16--FUKUI, Japan -- Following Japan's deadliest nuclear plant accident last week, Kansai Electric Power Co. admitted Monday it failed to inspect supplementary steam pipes at four nuclear rectors.

KEPCO, the country's second largest utility, said the unchecked pipes -- which are used to feed steam to air conditioning units and other devices -- are located at the No. 3 reactor of the accident-hit Mihama plant, the No. 1 reactor at the Takahama plant, and the No. 3 and No. 4 reactors at the Oi plant.

The revelation comes amid company investigations into last week's disaster.

All three plants are in Fukui Prefecture. The Takahama reactor is in service while the other three reactors have been shut down for inspections.

KEPCO reported the findings to the government in the afternoon.

Four people were killed and seven others injured in last Monday's accident at Mihama, in which superheated steam gushed out from a ruptured pipe. KEPCO had not inspected the pipe for almost 28 years since the No. 3 reactor began service in 1976.

Meanwhile, reporters covering the Mihama accident sent a protest letter to KEPCO President Yosaku Fuji Monday, criticizing the company for its reluctance to reveal information regarding the accident.

"Are you not going to tell local residents, who have to live alongside the nuclear plants, and the public the cause of the accident?" the letter says.

At a news conference last Thursday, KEPCO officials declined to comment on the accident, saying it may develop into a criminal case.

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