Restart of reactors in Saga Prefecture

The first battleground for Japan's nuclear future is taking shape in Saga Prefecture, home to Kyushu Electric Power's Genkai and Sendai nuclear power plants.



As background, by law, nuclear reactors in Japan are shutdown every 13 months for inspection and maintenance. After Chubu Electric Power's Hamaoka nuclear power plant was shutdown at the request of Prime Minister Kan, the restart of all other reactors was left subject to local approvals. If no approvals are forthcoming, Japan faces a complete shutdown of all of its 54 reactors by next April. Thirty five are now offline.

Because precedence is such a major part of Japanese policy, getting a locality to go first - or stopping it - is critical to pro-nuclear and anti-nuclear forces' agendas. Saga Prefecture, where the Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) dominates the assembly 3 to 1, appears set to go first.

On July 4, Mayor Hideo Hishimoto of Genkai gave his approval to restarting the Genkai reactor. On July 5, Mayor Hideo Iwakiri of Satsumasendai indicated that he will follow Genkai's lead in deciding whether or not to approve the Sendai plant's restart. This leaves the decision to Saga's governor and assembly.

While Saga Governor Yasushi Furukawa lamented his predicament to the New York Times, vernacular newspapers report that he is leaning toward approving the restarts subject to consulting the (LDP-dominated) assembly. Governor Furukawa's "predicament" is a familiar one for Japanese politicians: when faced with a difficult decision, get into a position in which the decision is made elsewhere, then lament one's lack of choice.

Where is the antinuclear opposition in restarting Saga's reactors? Martin Fackler interviews local opponents, but Governor Furukawa characterized the opposition as "shapeless."

Sources:

Martin Fackler, "A Governor’s Power to Shape the Future of a Nuclear Japan," New York Times, 2011-7-2, http://www.nytimes.com/2011/07/03/world/asia/03japan.html (accessed 2011-7-5)

Nihon Keizai Shimbun, 2011-7-5

Saga Shimbun, 2011-7-5, http://www.saga-s.co.jp/news/saga.0.1972989.article.html (accessed 2011-7-5)

Nishinippon Shimbun, 2011-7-5, http://www.nishinippon.co.jp/nnp/item/251778 (accessed 2011-7-5)

Saga Shimbun, 2011-7-5, http://www.saga-s.co.jp/news/saga.0.1972951.article.html (accessed 2011-7-5)