As all but two of the country's nuclear reactorsÌýremain shut down, theÌýKansai Electric Power Company (Kepco)Ìýhas today applied to Japan's Ministry of Economy Trade and Industry (METI)ÌýtoÌýraise the region's household electricity prices by 12% and that of commercial usersÌýby 19%Ìýin order toÌýoffset soaring fossil fuel imports.
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The first layer of steel framingÌýfor a cover that will allow removal of used fuel from Fukushima Daiichi unit 4 has been completed.
Decontamination work is accelerating in Fukushima City but a huge task remains with over 100,000 homes still to be treated.
Increased use of fossil fuels for power generation was the main driving force behind a rise in Japanese greenhouse gas emissions for 2011, even though the country saw a fall in manufacturing output._72x48.jpg "LNG shipment 2 (Gazprom) 72x48")
Russian nuclear-powered icebreakers have enabled the first ever LNG delivery via the Northern Sea Route from Norway to Japan, where it will go towards replacing generation lost from shut down nuclear reactors.
ÌýAnother area in the zone surrounding the strickenÌýFukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant has had its evacuation status revised by Japan's Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry (METI).