ter the kusha accident, actorsenoffle for gular maintenance and stayed offline. companies compensated by shifting to thermal energy, but there were concerns about a shortfall so the government asked businesses and households to conserve energy. >> translator: i didn't use air conditioning last summer, so i'm not worried about this year. >> conservation proved effective, but manufacturers had to make a lot of adjustments to their schedule to save power. >> translator: blackouts are crucial issues for our business. we cannot let them happen. >> they now need to import more fossil fuels to run thermal plants. they are planning to raise electricity rates. the government has estimated japan could face an energy shortage of around 9% this summer if it gets hot and if all reactors remain offline. the fukushima accident prompted the government to order extra safety tests for reactors that go offline for maintenance. these soalled stress tes are suppos to gauge how reactors could withstand external events, such as earthquakes and tsunami. they have submitted the results t