AFTER THE DISASTER

Japan to Restart Nuke Plants

Under stricter safety guidelines.

Japan plans to restart its currently disabled nuclear reactors later this year, Prime Minister Shinzo Abe said Thursday. Abe said the plants could restart as soon as July under stricter safety guidelines that will be overseen by the newly created Nuclear Regulation Authority—although Abe did not specify when any of the plants will be up and running, and news reports estimated it could take years for the aging plants to undergo the new rules. The World Health Organization said Thursday that women who lived in the surrounding area face a 70 percent greater risk for thyroid cancer, and the rate of leukemia increased by 7 percent for boys exposed as infants.