The governors of Kyoto and Shiga prefectures issued a joint proposal Tuesday that the central government set up an independent committee to assess electricity supply and demand, and that a new nuclear power regulatory body be established.
The move followed discussions about the reactivation of two idled reactors at the Oi nuclear power plant in neighboring Fukui Prefecture.
Kyoto Gov. Keiji Yamada and Shiga Gov. Yukiko Kada also called on the central government to produce a plan for ultimately abolishing nuclear energy and beefing up the system to process spent fuel rods.
On restarting the Oi reactors, Yamada and Kada said that information from the government and Kansai Electric Power Co. "about safety and necessity is insufficient at present."
Parts of Kyoto and Shiga prefectures fall within 30 km of the plant on the Sea of Japan coast.