Restart of Japanese nuke plants sparks protests

Japan's push to restart nuclear reactors  by proving their safety through stress tests sparked an angry response from the public.

The reactors were merely shut for maintenance and there are plans to let them operate for as long as 60 years

Citizens delayed a hearing at the trade ministry were the nuclear watchdog presented to experts its first completed review of stress test results for two reactors from Fukui prefecture's Ohi nuclear power plant.

The watchdog, Nuclear and Industrial Safety Agency, said in a draft report the tests showed the reactors were capable of withstanding a severe shock similar to the magnitude 9.0 earthquake and tsunami that crippled the Fukushima plant. But the report's review by a panel of experts is set to continue after observers demanded access to the deliberations and questioned the expert panel's impartiality.

Once the stress test results are approved, Japan will still need the green light from local governments hosting nuclear power plants for the reactors to be restarted.

Local officials, however, say the stress tests are not enough, with some requesting that findings from the Fukushima disaster also be considered.

"As the governorhas been saying, there is no change to our stance that a provisional safety standard based on findings from Fukushima is essential for a restart of the reactors," said an official at Fukui prefecture's safety and and environment department.

Shinobu Tokioka, the mayor of Fukui's Ohi town said: "If local fears were to be dispelled over reactor restarts it was important for the government to come up with a comprehensive set of safety standards and measures based on information from the Fukushima accident."

Some residents want local reactors to be shut down for good despite the financial benefits they have brought to local communities.

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Tags: nuclear plants, plant restart, protest, nuclear safety, nuclear reactors, stress test