Japan to Restart First Reactors

Barely a month after Japan shut down its last nuclear reactor, the government approved plans today to bring one reactor back online, reports the AP. The Japanese public has been wildly against nuclear power since last spring's disaster at the Fukushima plant, but with summer energy demands threatening electricity shortages, Kansai Electric Power plans on restarting two reactors in the western town of Ohi, to help with power supplies in Osaka.

"I approve the plan because I have been assured of the government's safety efforts and because it will provide stability for our industries," said the regional governor for Ohi. The shutdown of Japan's 50 nuclear power plants has hurt the economy badly, and the government is eager to show that the nation's reactors are safe so they can be restarted. (More Japan stories.)