Japan rushes to restart reactors

Japan's government is racing to get two nuclear reactors, idled after the Fukushima crisis, running again by next month out of what experts say is fear that a total shutdown would make it hard to convince a wary public that atomic power is vital. Prime Minister Yoshihiko Noda and three cabinet ministers are to meet on Thursday to discuss the possible restarts of the No. 3 and No. 4 reactors at Kansai Electric Power Co's Ohi plant in Fukui, western Japan - a region dubbed the "nuclear arcade" for the string of atomic plants that dot its coast. Trade minister Yukio Edano, who holds the energy portfolio, could travel to Fukui as early as Sunday to seek local approval for the restarts, Japanese media said. If approved, the restarts would be the first since a huge earthquake and tsunami triggered the radiation crisis at Tokyo Electric Power's Fukushima plant a year ago, forcing tens of thousands of people to evacuate. Concern about a power crunch when electricity demand peaks in the summer has been set against public fears about safety since Fukushima, the world's worst nuclear accident in 25 years. Nuclear power, long advertised as safe and cheap, provided almost 30 percent of Japan's electricity before the crisis but now all but one of Japan's 54 reactors are off-line, mainly for maintenance. The last reactor will shut down on May 5. "They want to avoid setting a precedent of the country operating without nuclear power because it will create a huge barrier in terms of restarts," said Jeffrey Kingston, director of Asian Studies at Temple University's Tokyo campus. "People will question why we need it," he said. The government is crafting a new energy mix formula, with options for atomic power ranging from zero to 35 percent of electricity by 2030 against an earlier target of more than half. Whether the reactor restarts can go ahead before the last reactor shuts down, however, remains in doubt. Edano has said he wants to gain understanding from communities near the reactors, including those such as Shiga and Kyoto prefectures, that are not hosts to atomic plants but are close enough to be at risk of radiation from a big accident. On Thursday, however, Chief Cabinet Secretary Osamu Fujimura underscored there was no legal requirement for local communities to sign off on the restarts. "However, we will go to the localities to explain new (safety) standards," he told reporters. On Tuesday, Noda ordered the compilation of provisional safety standards reflecting the lessons learned from the Fukushima disaster, in addition to computer-simulated stress tests that the two Ohi reactors have already passed. The standards, including better steps against flooding and preparing emergency power sources, are expected to be based on 30 steps drafted by Japan's nuclear safety agency in February. Local governments, including Fukui Prefectural Governor Issei Nishikawa, have called for provisional safety guidelines as one of the requirements for restarts. Nishikawa, however, has also said he wants to see the results of a government-sponsored probe of the Fukushima crisis. The report is not due out until summer. "They seem to be in a hurry," said Sophia University political science professor Koichi Nakano. "More than anything, it is pressure from business circles ... They realise that once everything is shut down, it becomes even harder to restart because anti-nuclear sentiment will become energised," he said. "Opinions vary tremendously, but there are pretty well-founded questions over whether we really need nuclear power in the summer." Last summer, the government imposed power restrictions on some large corporate users, ordering them to cut usage by 15 percent. To deal with the shortage, manufacturers operated plants at night and on the weekends. Companies used in-house generators and cut down on use of air conditioners and lights. But many businesses have complained about the cost of such measures, as well as expressed worries that higher future electricity costs could force them to move overseas. Japan's defences against a major tsunami and the safety of its nuclear plants were thrown into fresh doubt after two official studies predicted much higher waves could hit and that damage from a big Tokyo quake could be bigger than prepared for.