STEVE INSKEEP, host:
NPR's business news starts with Japan powering down.
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INSKEEP: One of Japan's biggest electric utilities is asking customers to cut power use during peak times this summer. Kansai Electric in Western Japan relies heavily on nuclear power. But many nuclear power plants are still shut down for inspections in the wake of the Fukushima disaster, and local residents do not want the reactors to start up again.
Last month, the company warned that without these reactors running, consumers will not be able to crank up their air conditioners. At the same time, Japanese utilities are scrambling to secure coal and natural gas to restart old thermal power plants. Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.