China's state council will likely hold a meeting before the end of June to approve plans for the nuclear industry, according to Xu Yuming, the vice secretary general of the China Nuclear Energy Association. The nation is currently building at least 27 reactors and has 50 more planned, according to the China Nuclear Energy Association. China suspended new projects after last year's Fukushima disaster prompted a review, but the new nuclear power safety regulation is ready and will be submitted to the State Council as China prepares to outline rules and goals for nuclear safety by 2020. The targets for nuclear power may be scaled back, and China will limit the number of reactors to be built on the coast. South Korea broke ground last week on two new nuclear power stations in Shin Ulchin, the first two of eight new stations planned to add to the nation's 23-station fleet of reactors that supply 45 percent of its power. President Lee Myung-bak praised the construction as a "huge milestone" for the engineers that had helped South Korea achieve "the dream of independent nuclear technology." The same week that South Korea prepared to add a new plant, Japan shut the doors of its last nuclear reactor, experiencing the first non-nuclear day in the country in 42 years. The abrupt exit from nuclear power has forced a steep jump in fossil fuel demand, with oil and gas imports up by more than 100 percent since last year. As wind, solar, and geothermal energy account for less than one percent of Japan's electricity, the nation has no chance of meeting international climate commitments, as it is almost entirely dependent on fossil fuels. For the story on Japan and South Korea, see http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/2012/may/17/japan-nuclear-south-korea. For the story on China, see http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2012-05-17/china-likely-to-approve-nuclear-plan-by-end-june-official-says.html.