Yet Mr Shimazaki is hesitant about free trade.

ECONOMIST: Japan��s free-trade dilemma

Mr Shimazaki thinks farm liberalisation is inevitable as old farmers retire, but like many is worried about the costs of open borders on other uncompetitive parts of the economy, such as the finance and construction industries.

ECONOMIST: Japan��s free-trade dilemma

The panel, comprised of Mr. Shimazaki and four academics, has been saying the No. 2 reactor is likely to be sitting above an active fault, defined as one that has shifted during the past 120, 000 to 130, 000 years.

WSJ: Panel: Active Fault Runs Beneath Japan Reactor

"We have reached the evaluation that the D-1 area of crushed rock in the premises of the Tsuruga power plant needs to be taken into consideration from the perspective of quake-resistant design, " Kunihiko Shimazaki, deputy chairman of the authority, told reporters during a news conference following a panel meeting where the report was approved.

WSJ: Panel: Active Fault Runs Beneath Japan Reactor