Banri Kaieda: Japan Economy Will Suffer If Nuclear Power Axed

Japan's economy will suffer major damage if it reduces output from nuclear power stations to zero in the wake of the Fukushima disaster, its trade minister said on Monday.

Routine maintenance and public concern since the Fukushima accident have left only 19 of Japan's 54 reactors functioning.

"I am fairly convinced that those operating plants can continue operation and those that are shutdown for inspection can be resumed," Banri Kaieda told reporters at a Vienna conference on boosting global nuclear safety.

He said if the power produced from nuclear was to be reduced to zero, "that could have a major adverse impact on the Japanese industries as well as on Japan's economy."