Japanese protests grow as nuclear power plant restarts production

A protest took place at the gate of a Japanese nuclear power plant as it was restarted — the first such facility to go back online since the country shut down all of its reactors for safety checks following the Fukushima nuclear disaster.

Ohi nuclear plant’s reactor No 3 returned to operation despite a deep division in public opinion.

Last month, prime minister Yoshihiko Noda ordered the restarts of reactors No 3 and nearby No 4, saying people’s living standards can not be maintained without nuclear energy.

Many citizens are against a return to nuclear power because of safety fears following the Fukushima accident.

Tens of thousands of people have gathered on Friday evenings around Noda’s official residence, chanting, “Saikado hantai”, or “No to nuclear restarts”.

A demonstration in Tokyo protesting against the restart and demanding Noda resign was planned yesterday.

Although initially ignored by mainstream local media, demonstrations have grown as word spread through social media.

All 50 of Japan’s working reactors were gradually turned off in the wake of last year’s massive earthquake and tsunami, which sent the Fukushima Dai-ichi plant into multiple meltdowns, setting off the worst nuclear disaster since Chernobyl.

But worries about a power crunch over the hot summer months have been growing. Oil imports are soaring. Officials have warned about blackouts in some regions.

The government has been carrying out new safety tests and says Ohi No 3 and No 4 are safe to restart.

Kansai Electric Power, the utility that operates Ohi in central Japan, was not available for comment. It said on its website that a nuclear reaction was restarted yesterday afternoon at the No 3 reactor, a key step for it to begin producing electricity.

Fukushima Dai-ichi went into meltdowns and exploded after the Mar 11, 2011, tsunami destroyed backup generators to keep the reactor cores cool.