Japan - Japan gov't to decide on restarting nuclear reactors

The Japan government will decide whether idled nuclear reactors are safe and should be restarted before seeking the approval of local governments and residents concerned, Economy, Trade and Industry Minister Yukio Edano has said in an interview with The Yomiuri Shimbun.

Edano said Wednesday that Prime Minister Yoshihiko Noda and three ministers concerned, including the economy minister, will make a political decision over whether to restart reactors that have been idled for regular inspections.

The decision is meant to clarify the central government's responsibility for reactivating the idled nuclear reactors.

When asked about the injection of public funds into Tokyo Electric Power Co., Edano said he is enthusiastic about obtaining at least two-thirds of the utility's voting-rights shares.

Edano said certain steps would have to be taken before reactivating reactors No. 3 and 4 at Kansai Electric Power Co.'s Oi nuclear power plant in Oi, Fukui Prefecture.

The government would likely take similar steps prior to reactivating reactors at other nuclear plants.

For the Oi plant, the Cabinet Office's Nuclear Safety Commission could evaluate the appropriateness of the results of stress tests conducted by the Nuclear and Industrial Safety Agency as early as Tuesday.

The Fukui prefectural government and other local governments home to plants with idled reactors have demanded the central government clarify its stance over the issue.

Edano said: "It's natural for local residents [to make such demands]. If safety is confirmed, the government will properly present its opinion and consult them."

He added: "If we obtain the understanding of local governments and residents, we'll make a decision on reactivation. [Decisions] by Cabinet ministers concerned need to be made in two stages."

The prime minister, the chief cabinet secretary, the economy minister and the state minister in charge of the nuclear crisis will present the government's decision at their meeting, then seek approval from local governments.

At that point, the central government will make its final decision on the reactivation of nuclear plants.

It was the first time the government presented a clear process for reactivating nuclear reactors.

Concerning TEPCO, Edano emphasised that "The overall framework is that the government will obtain voting rights in accordance with the fund contribution."

The government aims to inject 1 trillion yen (US$12.5 billion) of public funds into TEPCO. Based on TEPCO's aggregate market price, which was about 370 billion yen ($4.5 billion) as of Wednesday, the government would hold more than 70 per cent of its voting shares.

News Desk

The Yomiuri Shimbun

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