Director General of the International Atomic Energy Agency, Yukiya Amano, assured on Monday the 35-nation governing body of Vienna-based U.N. agency that Fukushima atomic power plant reactors are now stable.

After the March 11 9.0 magnitude earthquake that propelled a destructive tsunami crippling the power and cooling functions of three reactors, the Japanese authorities and plant operator told Reuters they re-gained full control of the situation and maintained steady progress in the "cold shutdown" initiative plan.

The tsunami destroyed the fuel rods in three reactors, compelling 80,000 people to evacuate. The tragedy also spurred Japanese government to require all other nuclear power plants to conduct two-stage stress tests to ascertain their strength in massive earthquake and other fortuitous events.

But on Tuesday, newly appointed trade minister Yukio Edano announced nuclear reactors, after idling for maintenance may now re-start as soon as safety is confirmed and local communities have given their approval.

Edano explained safety check is carried out in a concise way for residents to grasp understanding. His statement is seen as a reflection of Prime Minister Yoshihiko Noda's perception that nuclear power plant remains to be the country's main energy supply.

"I think one purpose of conducting the stress tests is to make checks transparent and specific, and to explain the results in a way that is easy to comprehend," Edano told Reuters.

As winter fast approaches, Edano wanted to assure Japanese they have sufficient power supply without resorting to power reductions.

In an ironic twist, Edano spoke before the press during his inauguration late on Monday that Japan should strive to become a society not dependent on nuclear power.

He replaced Yoshio Hachiro after the latter resigned eight days in the office over blunder on the radiation from Fukushima plant.