Keen to restart nuclear power plants three years after the Fukushima disaster, authorities may face an additional hurdle in securing approval — coming up with a cogent evacuation plan in the event of new accidents.
The problem has come into focus as procedures for the first proposed restart enter the home stretch in Ichikikushikino, a town 5 kilometers from Kyushu Electric Power Co.'s Sendai plant.
The government, facing the first summer in 40 years without nuclear power, is fielding complaints from residents who say key points have been missed in planning for any mass evacuation.