Nuclear plant operator missed inspections

Japan’s nuclear safety agency says the operator of the country’s troubled nuclear complex repeatedly failed to make crucial inspections of equipment in the weeks before it was crippled by the earthquake and tsunami.

In a report released nine days before the disasters, the agency criticised Tokyo Electric Power Company for not inspecting 33 pieces of equipment at the Fukushima Dai-ichi plant.

Among the machinery the utility missed were back-up generators, pumps and other parts of cooling systems which the tsunami later swamped, leading to the plant’s overheating and the release of radioactive gas.

Even before the crisis, Tokyo Electric has been the target of criticism for maintenance lapses at its plants.