Japan's nuclear regulatory body decided Wednesday to effectively ban Tokyo Electric Power Company Holdings Inc. from restarting a nuclear plant on the Sea of Japan coast after the complex was found to have serious safety flaws.

The Nuclear Regulation Authority decided at its meeting to ban TEPCO from transporting nuclear fuel to the Kashiwazaki-Kariwa plant in Niigata Prefecture and loading it into the reactors.

A final decision will be made after the operator is given an opportunity to provide an explanation.

==Kyodo

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