About 40 percent of major companies in Kyushu and Okinawa want Kyushu Electric Power Co. to restart the nearby Sendai nuclear plant, a survey showed Friday.

The two-unit Sendai plant, situated in a region of active volcanic sites, is likely to be the first of the nation's 48 idled commercial reactors to be restarted because it is in the final stage of its safety review. Due to the Fukushima disaster, all 48 must pass the safety test established by the new Nuclear Regulation Authority before they can generate electricity again.

Of the 54 firms that responded to the survey, 23 said they would back a restart, 23 were noncommittal and eight chose not to answer.