Antinuclear activists and others are furious after discovering that the Fugen advanced thermal reactor here, which was shut down in May by a radioactive leak and is scheduled to be dismantled, will resume operations for 10 months.
"The Japan Nuclear Cycle Development Institute, which will spend huge amounts of money to operate the reactor for less than a year, lacks a sense of citizenship," said Kiyoshi Yoshimura, a former Tsuruga Municipal Assembly member who has long campaigned against nuclear power generation.
The 165,000-kilowatt reactor, which is run by the government-operated institute in Tsuruga, Fukui Prefecture, is undergoing final checks for the restart, according to the operator. It will be shut down at the end of March next year.
Even if the reactor is restarted in May as scheduled, it will have to shut down in November for a fuel change, meaning that it will be in operation for only 10 months.