Fukui Gov. Issei Nishikawa on Monday asked Prime Minister Yoshihiko Noda to directly explain why two idled reactors at Kansai Electric Power Co.'s Oi nuclear plant in the prefecture should be restarted.
"It will lead to creating a sense of security among the public if the prime minister directly declares to citizens that the reactivation (of the reactors) is necessary," Nishikawa said in a meeting with nuclear disaster minister Goshi Hosono, who visited the prefecture to win local consent for the reactors' restart, which the government and Kepco have been pushing to avert a summer power shortage.
In response to heightened public concerns over nuclear safety because of the Fukushima triple-meltdown crisis that began in March last year, Hosono briefed Nishikawa on the government's plan to strengthen safety-monitoring at the Kepco plant. One aspect of the plan is to station elected officials, such as a senior vice industry minister, at the facility.