Fukui Gov. Issei Nishikawa gave the go-ahead Tuesday for Kansai Electric Power Co. to restart the No. 3 and No. 4 reactors at its Takahama plant on the Sea of Japan coast.
The utility is looking to restart unit 3 in late January and unit 4 in late February.
However, a court injunction issued in April bans Kansai Electric from reactivating the Takahama reactors over safety concerns. The Fukui District Court is set to rule Thursday on an objection filed by the utility against the injunction.
Nishikawa's announcement came after industry minister Motoo Hayashi met with him Sunday and Kansai Electric President Makoto Yagi held talks with him Monday to ask him to consent to the restart.
The governor said he "gave comprehensive consideration to the country's and the operator's policy."
Japan's nearly two-year-long moratorium on nuclear power ended earlier this year when two reactors at Kyushu Electric Power Co.'s Sendai plant in Kagoshima Prefecture were brought back online.
Ehime Gov. Tokihiro Nakamura in October approved restarting a reactor at Shikoku Electric Power Co.'s Ikata plant.
In explaining his decision in Fukui, Nishikawa cited approval by the prefectural assembly and the mayor of Takahama, as well as a safety check conducted by the prefecture as key factors. He also pointed to the safety clearance given by the Nuclear Regulation Authority.
Nishikawa said that he confirmed the central government's solid commitment to playing a leading role in nuclear energy policy.
He said earlier that supporting the local economy, creating new jobs and gaining public understanding would be necessary conditions for deciding to approve the restarts.
