Japan will have the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) inspect its earthquake-hit nuclear plant in Niigata prefecture, after a number of incidents at the plant raised safety concerns.

The Nuclear and Industrial Safety Agency under the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry has told the UN nuclear watchdog that it will accept the inspection of the Kashiwazaki-Kariwa nuclear plant, Kyodo News reported Sunday.

The decision came after the Niigata prefecture, where the quakehit hardest and where the plant is located, called on the central government earlier in the day to have the IAEA examine the Kashiwazaki-Kariwa nuclear power plant, the world's largest in terms of output capacity.

The nuclear plant, operated by Tokyo Electric Power Co., has reported some 50 incidents since a magnitude 6.8 quake rocked the area on July 16. The incidents included a fire, leakage of water containing radioactive material, detection of a small quantity of radiation from a ventilation filter and toppling of drums containing low-level radioactive waste.

The Niigata prefectural government submitted a petition Sunday to Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, several Cabinet ministers and Tokyo Electric Power Co., saying that problems of the plant have caused concerns and that rumors would harm local tourism and industries. It said that "appropriate information needs to be disseminated," according to Kyodo.

Two days after the quake, IAEA chief Mohamed ElBaradei said that IAEA would be ready to join Japan in investigating the incidents at the nuclear power plant.

"Japan needs to go into full investigation of the structure, of the systems, of the components of the reactor," ElBaradei said during a visit to Malaysia. The offer was not immediately accepted.

The major quake shook Niigata and nearby prefectures on the morning of July 16, killing 10 and injuring over 1,000 people. By Saturday, some 2,600 people still stayed in shelters in Niigata prefecture.

The nuclear plant, which is designed to resist 6.5 magnitude earthquake, has become a major safety concern since the earthquake. According to a Kyodo News survey released Sunday, over 80 percent of evacuees from the earthquake expressed anxiety over the nuclear plant's safety.

(Xinhua News Agency July 23, 2007)