Wikileaks: Japan Was Warned About Nuclear Power Stations Safety

A Wikileaks cable reveal in 2008 an official from the International Atomic Energy Agency raised concerns that a strong earthquake could pose a serious problem for Japan's nuclear power stations.

According to document, the reactors are designed to withstand 7.0-magnitude earthquakes.

The IAEA official said Japan's safety guidelines were outdated at a meeting of the G8's Nuclear Safety and Security Group in Tokyo in 2008.

The document stated: "He (the IAEA official) explained that safety guides for seismic safety have only been revised three times in the last 35 years and that the IAEA is now re-examining them. Also, the presenter noted recent earthquakes in some cases have exceeded the design basis for some nuclear plants, and that this is a serious problem that is now driving seismic safety work."

According to the cable, Japan's Nuclear and Industrial Safety Agency believed the reactor was "safe" and that "all safety analyses were appropriately conducted."