Keen to ensure safety standards are not lagging, Japan has asked the agency to start as soon as possible.

The government has asked the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) to inspect and assess safety precautions used when nuclear material is being shipped into and around Japan, sources said over the weekend.

The inspection, which comes with a 30 million yen price tag, is slated for next fiscal year. It will also cover the transportation of fuel to be used in nuclear power plants, the sources said.

Six countries, including Britain and France, have already undergone similar inspections.

The sources said Japan was keen not to be out of step with other developed countries when it came to nuclear safety and hoped the review would get under way as soon as possible.

The inspection will be carried out according to the IAEA's safety standards.

If problems are found, the IAEA will make recommendations. The agency does not, however, have the authority to ensure those changes are carried out.

The inspection will include safety measures for nuclear material transported by land and sea.

It will also cover the transit of radioactive material used at research institutions, the sources said.

The safe transportation of nuclear material is likely to become an even greater issue if a spent nuclear fuel reprocessing plant in Rokkasho, Aomori Prefecture, becomes operational.

The Rokkasho plant will cater to some of the nation's nuclear power plants.

There, plutonium will be extracted and sent to another facility where it will be mixed with uranium to produce nuclear fuel.(IHT/Asahi: December 27,2004)