The assembly overwhelmingly approved the restart, leading Mayor Hideo Iwakiri to say that he thus intended to agree also. This agreement by a local municipality is a major step forward in restarting the Japan’s nuclear power plants following the establishment of new regulatory standards. Currently all of Japan’s nuclear reactors are off-line.
At a press conference held in the afternoon of the day, Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga, noting the strong significance of having obtained the local mayor’s and assembly’s approvals, said that the national government would continue its efforts to persuade other concerned parties.
A series of meetings have already been held at five locations in Kagoshima Prefecture to give local residents explanations about the results of the examinations of the compatibility of the Sendai NPS with the new regulatory standards.
On October 23, Minister Yoichi Miyazawa of the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry (METI) conferred with the Satsumasendai mayor at METI’s office in Tokyo. The minister said that he would help work toward the reactors’ restart, while remaining sensitive to local opinion.
