Japan nuclear plant gets safety clearance

Protesters shout slogans against a Japanese nuclear plant which won preliminary approval Wednesday for meeting stringent post-Fukushima safety requirements, near the Diet builidng in Tokyo, July 16, 2014. [Photo/IC]

Activists and protesters crowded the regulatory commission's open meeting on Wednesday, yelling at commissioners to vote against the safety review and to halt restarts.

But the green light for Sendai does not mean a quick return for the nuclear industry. At most about two-thirds of Japan's 48 reactors will ever pass the regulator's stringent safety checks and clear the other hurdles needed to restart, a Reuters analysis showed in April.

The NRA will seek public comment on the decision for a month before issuing its final decision. Kagoshima prefecture, home to the Sendai plant, will hold townhall meetings in municipalities closest to the facility to explain the restart.

Abe's government has said it will defer to local communities to give final approval on reopening nuclear facilities.

The pro-nuclear governor of Kagoshima and the mayor of Satsumasendai, the plant's host city, are likely to approve the decision, but many nearby townships oppose a hasty restart.

More than half the 30,000 residents in Ichikikushikino, a coastal town 5 km from Sendai, recently submitted a petition opposing a restart of the plant, citing an unrealistic and inefficient evacuation plan.

Opponents of nuclear power have so far gained little political traction, but a candidate backed by Abe's party lost a regional election on Sunday, partly over concerns about nuclear safety.