OSAKA -- Representatives from a French group opposed to a nuclear waste reprocessing plant in the port city of Le Havre visited Kansai Electric Power Co. Thursday to protest the firm's business with the French plant. They said the Le Havre plant is the cause of recent outbreaks of cancer and leukemia in the surrounding area.

Claire Boussahba and Claudine LeBoisselier, representing a group of mothers whose children have contracted leukemia and cancer, were joined by Japanese antinuclear activists.

The group called on Kepco to halt its contacts with the French firm COGEMA, which operates the La Havre reprocessing plant.

"Since 1997, 24 children have become ill with leukemia, a very large number in such a very short time. It appears that the COGEMA plant is responsible," said Boussahba.

Osaka was the latest stop on a nationwide tour for Boussahba and LeBoisselier that began Oct. 20 and runs until Tuesday. Earlier this week, the two women met the mayors of Rokkasho, Aomori Prefecture, and Tokai, Ibaraki Prefecture, sites of key nuclear facilities, to express their concerns.

"While polite, both mayors said that decisions to continue with reprocessing had already been taken. They were interested in our concerns, and the mayor of Rokkasho gave us more time than we had asked for" said Boussahba.

Kepco officials, however, refused to allow the two women to enter their headquarters. A Kepco spokesman, meeting the women in front of the building, said Kepco was certain that strict safety standards for the Le Havre plant were being followed, and the meeting, originally scheduled for 1 hour, broke up after 20 minutes.

Kepco is La Havre's largest Japanese customer for reprocessing spent nuclear fuel. Since 1970, Kepco has sent 1,350 tons of fuel to Le Havre for reprocessing, nearly half of the French company's total output in the same period.