On 29 February 2012, Japan’s Nuclear Industrial and Safety Agency said Hokkaido Electric Power Company (HEPCo) failed to comply with new nuclear plant stress test rules.

Japan’s government officials have even more reason to get tough on nuclear safety, as an investigation into the Fukushima disaster revealed gross government incompetence.

The new stress tests are designed to force nuclear power plant operators to take into consideration major natural disasters regarding the reactor’s safety.  The  Nuclear Industrial and Safety Agency said HEPCo failed to consider fault lines running under and around their Tomari nuclear power plant.

HEPCo only considered fault lines that were 40km (24.8 miles) away!  Government officials also say the new stress tests require consideration of fault lines as far out as 150km (93 miles).