A civic group in Shizuoka Prefecture kicked off a petition drive Sunday in hopes of triggering a referendum on whether to restart the Hamaoka nuclear power plant, members of the group said.
If the group collects around 62,000 signatures, or one-fiftieth of Shizuoka's eligible voters, in the two-month period allowed under local law, it can directly request that Gov. Heita Kawakatsu adopt an ordinance to hold the referendum. This gives the group until July 11 to complete the petition.
The request will force Kawakatsu to convene the prefectural assembly for a debate on the referendum proposal under the local autonomy act.
The group's leader, Nozomu Suzuki, told reporters Sunday that he wants to use the petition to strike a blow for the people.
"We hope the will of prefectural residents can be adequately reflected in policymaking," Suzuki said.
The Hamaoka complex has two reactors and is situated on the Pacific coast in the city of Omaezaki. Owner Chubu Electric Power Co. shut down the plant last May at the request of Prime Minister Naoto Kan amid widespread concerns the region is ripe for a catastrophic quake like the one that triggered the man-made disaster at the Fukushima No. 1 nuclear plant.
"I think it is my personal responsibility to decide how to deal with the issue of nuclear power plants," said Yoshiko Akiyama, a 28-year-old part-time employee who signed the petition. "It is good that prefectural residents will be able to have a chance to decide whether to restart them or not."