Japan failed to take necessary precautions to protect the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant against the known risk of an earthquake and tsunami, according to a draft report by the International Atomic Energy Agency.
The plant "had some weaknesses which were not fully evaluated by a probabilistic safety assessment, as recommended by the IAEA safety standards", the agency's draft report said, cited by Kyodo News agency on Monday.
A new approach applied between 2007 and 2009 postulated a magnitude-8.3 quake off the coast of Fukushima, with a possible tsunami of around 15 metres hitting the plant and inundating the complex, the UN nuclear agency said in the draft obtained by Kyodo.
Despite the analysis, the country's now-defunct Nuclear and Industrial Safety Agency and the operator Tokyo Electric Power Co did not take measures to counter such a large tsunami, declaring "further studies and investigations were needed", the report said.
The report addressing the causes and consequences of the disaster as well as lessons learned is expected to serve as a reference for nuclear safety measures worldwide, Kyodo said.
About 180 experts from 42 countries contributed to the report, which is set to be submitted to the IAEA's annual meeting in September after a revision by the board in June.
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