Japan restarts first nuclear plant amid mass protests (PHOTOS, VIDEO)

Today's post is from Russia Today (RT)

Ohi nuclear power plant of the Kansai Electric Power Co (KEPCO) at Ohi town in Fukui prefecture, western Japan (AFP Photo / Jiji Press Japan Out)

Japan’s Kansai Electric Power Company has restarted a nuclear reactor after almost two months being nuclear free. The move has been met with mass protests, as tens of thousands have rallied throughout the country since March to oppose nuclear energy.

The Ohi nuclear power plant in Fukui prefecture is the first nuclear site to go back online since the government shut down the last of Japan’s nuclear reactors this past May over security concerns. 

The restart was preceded by a round of rigorous negotiations. While local authorities demanded additional guarantees from KEPCO management before reopening the plant, federal authorities insisted that the facility needs to be restarted as soon as possible for the sake of economic stability.  

On Sunday hundreds of activists have gathered in front of the plant to protest. Police had to take measures to push demonstrators back from the gates of the plant.

Ever since Prime Minister Yoshihiko Noda’s government moved forward with the decision to restart some of the country’s nuclear reactors on June 16, there has been a chain of demonstrations against renewal of nuclear energy in Japan.