Japan Nuclear Leak Blamed On Worn-out Valves: Report

TOKYO, Sept 10 (AFP) - A radioactive leak at a Japanese nuclear plant was caused by worn-out valves which had not been replaced for about 30 years, local media reported on Friday.
The Japan Nuclear Cycle Development Institute, which runs the Tokaimura plant, blamed the June accident on ageing parts of four valves designed to prevent leaks, Kyodo news agency said.
Nobody was hurt in the leak at the plant, 120 kilometers (70 miles) northeast of Tokyo, where Japan's worst nuclear accident killed two workers and exposed 439 to radiation in 1999.
The report follows the deaths of five workers at Mihama nuclear plant, 350 kilometres (220 miles) west of Tokyo, last month when non-radioactive steam leaked from a ruptured pipe which had not been replaced for 28 years.