News Summary: Japan vows to tighten nuke safety
Japan vows tighter nuclear safety after accident at research facility doses 33 with radiation
BETTER NEXT TIME: Japan pledged better safety practices for its troubled nuclear industry after an accident at a government research facility that exposed 33 people to minor excess radiation and had not been immediately disclosed.
WHAT HAPPENED: The accident occurred Thursday at the Hadron Experimental Facility of the Japan Atomic Energy Agency's Japan Proton Accelerator Research Complex in Tokaimura, where at least two previous radiation accidents have occurred.
TRACK RECORD: Japan's nuclear industry has been in crisis since the March 2011, when a tsunami hit the Fukushima Dai-ichi plant, leading to the worst nuclear disaster since Chernobyl in 1986. The government has revamped its regulatory regime and is drafting stricter safety standards as troubles mount.
