SUBSCRIBE TO OUR FREE NEWSLETTER
Daily news & progressive opinion—funded by the people, not the corporations—delivered straight to your inbox.
5
#000000
#FFFFFF
5
#000000
#FFFFFF
Demonstrators stage protest in 2014 against Kagoshima prefecture assembly's vote to resume operations at the Sendai nuclear plant. (Photo: AFP: Jiji Press: Japan Out)
Japanese Nuke Restart Gets Greenlight Despite Safety Concerns of Residents
Sendai nuclear power station is now poised to be first nuclear restart since Fukushima crisis shuttered country's industry
May 28, 2015
Despite the health and safety concerns of local residents, Japan's Sendai nuclear power station on Wednesday was granted final regulatory approval to restart its operations, meaning it is now poised to be the first such facility to reopen since the industry was halted nation-wide following the Fukushima meltdown in 2011.
Asia One reports that Japan's Nuclear Regulation Authority on Wednesday approved "operational safety programs for the Nos. 1 and 2 reactors at Kyushu Electric Power Co.'s Sendai nuclear power plant," meaning all necessary permits have now been granted.
The publication explains that the Sendai plant, which is located in the Kagoshima Prefecture, "now needs to pass two procedures before restart: an inspection before start-up, in which the NRA inspectors examine facilities, and a safety inspection in which the inspectors check whether the plant's operation and management systems are compiled as operational safety programs stipulate."
Both procedures are already underway, and Kyushu Electric Power Co., which runs the facility, says it hopes to restart the No. 1 reactor as early as July.
Residents had formally petitioned to block the restart of the plant but their efforts were rejected by the Kagoshima District Court in April.
The restart is moving forward despite majority opposition in Japan to a resumption of the country's nuclear industry.
An Urgent Message From Our Co-Founder
Dear Common Dreams reader, The U.S. is on a fast track to authoritarianism like nothing I've ever seen. Meanwhile, corporate news outlets are utterly capitulating to Trump, twisting their coverage to avoid drawing his ire while lining up to stuff cash in his pockets. That's why I believe that Common Dreams is doing the best and most consequential reporting that we've ever done. Our small but mighty team is a progressive reporting powerhouse, covering the news every day that the corporate media never will. Our mission has always been simple: To inform. To inspire. And to ignite change for the common good. Now here's the key piece that I want all our readers to understand: None of this would be possible without your financial support. That's not just some fundraising cliche. It's the absolute and literal truth. We don't accept corporate advertising and never will. We don't have a paywall because we don't think people should be blocked from critical news based on their ability to pay. Everything we do is funded by the donations of readers like you. Will you donate now to help power the nonprofit, independent reporting of Common Dreams? Thank you for being a vital member of our community. Together, we can keep independent journalism alive when it’s needed most. - Craig Brown, Co-founder |
Our work is licensed under Creative Commons (CC BY-NC-ND 3.0). Feel free to republish and share widely.
Sarah Lazare
Sarah Lazare was a staff writer for Common Dreams from 2013-2016. She is currently web editor and reporter for In These Times.
Despite the health and safety concerns of local residents, Japan's Sendai nuclear power station on Wednesday was granted final regulatory approval to restart its operations, meaning it is now poised to be the first such facility to reopen since the industry was halted nation-wide following the Fukushima meltdown in 2011.
Asia One reports that Japan's Nuclear Regulation Authority on Wednesday approved "operational safety programs for the Nos. 1 and 2 reactors at Kyushu Electric Power Co.'s Sendai nuclear power plant," meaning all necessary permits have now been granted.
The publication explains that the Sendai plant, which is located in the Kagoshima Prefecture, "now needs to pass two procedures before restart: an inspection before start-up, in which the NRA inspectors examine facilities, and a safety inspection in which the inspectors check whether the plant's operation and management systems are compiled as operational safety programs stipulate."
Both procedures are already underway, and Kyushu Electric Power Co., which runs the facility, says it hopes to restart the No. 1 reactor as early as July.
Residents had formally petitioned to block the restart of the plant but their efforts were rejected by the Kagoshima District Court in April.
The restart is moving forward despite majority opposition in Japan to a resumption of the country's nuclear industry.
Sarah Lazare
Sarah Lazare was a staff writer for Common Dreams from 2013-2016. She is currently web editor and reporter for In These Times.
Despite the health and safety concerns of local residents, Japan's Sendai nuclear power station on Wednesday was granted final regulatory approval to restart its operations, meaning it is now poised to be the first such facility to reopen since the industry was halted nation-wide following the Fukushima meltdown in 2011.
Asia One reports that Japan's Nuclear Regulation Authority on Wednesday approved "operational safety programs for the Nos. 1 and 2 reactors at Kyushu Electric Power Co.'s Sendai nuclear power plant," meaning all necessary permits have now been granted.
The publication explains that the Sendai plant, which is located in the Kagoshima Prefecture, "now needs to pass two procedures before restart: an inspection before start-up, in which the NRA inspectors examine facilities, and a safety inspection in which the inspectors check whether the plant's operation and management systems are compiled as operational safety programs stipulate."
Both procedures are already underway, and Kyushu Electric Power Co., which runs the facility, says it hopes to restart the No. 1 reactor as early as July.
Residents had formally petitioned to block the restart of the plant but their efforts were rejected by the Kagoshima District Court in April.
The restart is moving forward despite majority opposition in Japan to a resumption of the country's nuclear industry.
We've had enough. The 1% own and operate the corporate media. They are doing everything they can to defend the status quo, squash dissent and protect the wealthy and the powerful. The Common Dreams media model is different. We cover the news that matters to the 99%. Our mission? To inform. To inspire. To ignite change for the common good. How? Nonprofit. Independent. Reader-supported. Free to read. Free to republish. Free to share. With no advertising. No paywalls. No selling of your data. Thousands of small donations fund our newsroom and allow us to continue publishing. Can you chip in? We can't do it without you. Thank you.