RENEE MONTAGNE, host:
NPR's business news starts with Japan closing a nuclear power plant.
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MONTAGNE: Executives at a nuclear plant west of Tokyo say they will shut down the facility's three reactors. The Japanese government had requested the closure. It's been surveying the country's 50 or so reactors in the wake of the Fukushima disaster to determine their vulnerability to earthquakes and tsunamis.
The aging Hamaoka nuclear power plant is considered one of Japan's most dangerous. It's located in an area where a major earthquake is expected in the next three decades. The plant provides power to central Japan. That's where many Toyota factories are located. So today's move is a blow to the carmaker, as well. Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.
