By Yoko Kubota and Kevin Krolicki
TOKYO (Reuters) - Japan's planned stress tests on nuclear reactors will determine how long the operating life of existing reactors can be extended, the minister in charge of bringing the Fukushima atomic disaster under control said on Friday.
Goshi Hosono, who took the post following the world's worst atomic disaster in 25 years, also said this was not the time to debate the nationalisation of Japan's nuclear power plants, which are run by private utilities.
"We will continue the stress tests. That's going to be necessary to make a judgement about how we define safe nuclear power," Hosono told Reuters in an interview.
He added that the government would take responsibility for long-term monitoring of radiation exposure and health of workers at the crippled Fukushima plant, which has so far been left in the hands of the operator, Tokyo Electric Power Co.
(Editing by Edmund Klamann)
