Japan nuclear power plants to close

Japan's trade minister has said all of the country's nuclear reactors will be shut down, following the recent nuclear crisis at Fukushima. Yoshio Hachiro, Japan's new trade and energy minister, said the country would have "zero" nuclear reactors in the future. ''Public opinion is generally united in reducing [nuclear plants], instead of increasing them,'' he was quoted as saying by Kyodo news agency on Tuesday. He said it would be "difficult" to go ahead with plans for new facilities amid a rising tide of anti-nuclear sentiment prompted by the Fukushima disaster. A powerful earthquake and tsunami wrecked the plant's cooling systems on March 11, causing meltdown at three of its reactors. The crisis prompted the resignation of Prime Minister Naoto Kan, criticized for his handling of the twin disasters, in which more than 15,700 people died. Former finance minister Yoshiko Noda was elected prime minister last week.