Local govt group to approve Kansai Electric's reactor restart

The head of a body of governors and mayors in western Japan indicated that they will approve the restart of Oi nuclear power plant in Fukui Prefecture.

"We will accept the decision to be made by the government," said Hyogo Gov. Toshizo Ido, who heads the Union of Kansai Governments, after a meeting of the union in Tottori Prefecture.

At the meeting, nuclear accident minister Goshi Hosono said the government may station elected officials at Kansai Electric Power Company's Oi nuclear power plant to ensure its safety, in an effort to win local consent to restart the plant's reactors.

The government plans to propose such safety measures to the Fukui prefectural government in the near future.

If approved, it will make a final decision as early as next month to resume operation of the reactors, located on the Sea of Japan coast, Kyodo said, citing sources close to the matter.

Prime Minister Yoshihiko Noda, nuclear accident minister Hosono, industry minister Yukio Edano and Chief Cabinet Secretary Osamu Fujimura held a meeting in Tokyo Wednesday on restarting the reactors at the Oi plant.

If the reactivation of the Oi reactors is authorized, they would be the first reactors shut down for routine maintenance to resume operation since the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant disaster triggered by the March 2011 earthquake and tsunami.

For more.