MARKET & ECONOMICSJapan restarts first nuclear power plant since Fukushima

The authorities in Japan on Tuesday have restarted the first nuclear power plant under new rules since Fukushima tragedy in 2011.

Japan restarted a nuclear reactor Tuesday for the first time since new rules were introduced in the wake of the 2011 Fukushima meltdown.

But Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, who is intent on lowering the financial burden of importing costly fossil fuels into the resource-scarce nation, insists that the nuclear reactors meet the “world’s most stringent regulation standards” on nuclear safety.

A member of Greenpeace Japan told CNN seismic and volcanic risks weren’t investigated thoroughly enough for the Sendai plant, and its reactors are also aging. To offset the shortfall in power output, the country ramped up imports of oil and gas and fired up more thermal power plants, slowing progress towards reducing its emissions of greenhouse gases. 3 and 4 reactors at Kyushu Electric’s Genkai nuclear power plant in Saga Prefecture and the Nos.

“Who would take responsibility if an accident like Fukushima happens again?”

“I can not understand why operations are resuming”, said Tatsuya Yoshioka, director of Peace Boat, one of the rally organizers, as cited by the Asahi newspaper.

The government then put strict safety regulations in 2013, under which 48 nuclear plants in Japan were closed down.

“It is important that they are reminded of the key role nuclear energy has traditionally played in supporting industry, keeping bills down, and keeping Japan secure”. It is expected to reach its full capacity early next month. Japan invested heavily in its nuclear power program and many communities rely on tax revenues and jobs associated with the plants.

But the government says the No. 1 reactor at Sendai complex, located on the southwestern island of Kyushu, had passed “the world’s toughest safety screening”.

A second reactor at Sendai is scheduled for restart in October.

The huge natural disaster and tsunami on March 11, 2011, that triggered the nuclear crisis resulted in all the country’s commercial reactors going offline by September 2013.

As part of the safety procedures, the administration and the energy company have erected stronger and higher walls to protect the plant’s reactors from tsunamis, according to Engadget.

Some 100,000 people have been displaced from around the Dai-Ichi plant.

Local residents held demonstrations outside the Sendai plant and at the Prime Minister’s residence in Tokyo Tuesday.

Additionally, one former worker at a nuclear plant equipment maker, 79-year-old Shouhei Nomura, expressed to Reuters concerns the government has failed to develop appropriate plans in the event of a future nuclear disaster: “You will need to change where you evacuate to depending on the direction of the wind”.

“We prioritize safety more than anything”, Abe told reporters the day before the restart.