Tough safety measures being considered by Japan's nuclear regulator are certain to deal a blow to utilities because it could cost tens of billions of yen to bring an old reactor into compliance, the Nikkei reported in its Wednesday morning edition.

New measures that the Nuclear Regulation Authority is working to finalize in July will require major extra safety systems, such as a backup cooling facility and a ventilation system equipped with a filter for removing radioactive materials.

The NRA intends to use these measures in deciding whether to allow idled reactors to resume operations. But because large-scale upgrades, notably auxiliary cooling systems, will be time-consuming, the regulator will likely allow utilities to restart reactors on the condition that the necessary changes will be made within about three years.

Still, many reactors 30 years or older may be scrapped because their operators will not be able to recoup the upgrade costs, given the maximum operating life for reactors is set at 40 years under the law.

"The central government should resolve the issue (of restarting the reactors) in a responsible way," Fukui Prefecture Gov. Issei Nishikawa said Tuesday in a meeting with Economy, Trade and Industry Minister Toshimitsu Motegi. "Because (the future of nuclear power plants) has been left uncertain for a long time, employment in local areas has been greatly affected," the governor added, calling attention to the plight of communities hosting such plants.

But the government is unlikely to tackle the highly divisive issue at least until this summer's upper house election is concluded.

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