The plants would be allowed to continue operations during the implementation of the safety measures, which must be verified by the government by end-April, in order to ensure sufficient power supplies. "These are the minimum steps we can think of right now that should be done immediately," Kaieda said. Japan's regional utilities have already announced plans to address safety concerns. Central Japan's Chubu Electric Power Co said last week it would build a 12-metre tsunami wall over the next few years to protect its Hamaoka plant, located in a coastal region where the government has predicted a high probability of a major earthquake within the next three decades. Kansai Electric Power Co, which serves Japan's second-largest metropolis in Osaka, said it would spend 50 billion to 100 billion yen ($620 million-$1.23 billion) on improving safety for its nuclear plants.