Public opinion in Japan is split down the middle over whether the government should permit power companies to restart idled nuclear power plants.
At issue is which should be given priority — plant safety or economic efficiency.
Since new safety standards were introduced following the disaster at Tokyo Electric Power Co.'s Fukushima No. 1 nuclear plant triggered by the March 2011 earthquake and tsunami, the Sendai nuclear power plant in Kagoshima Prefecture of Kyushu Electric Power Co. has become the first of 13 nuclear power plants nationwide undergoing screening by the Nuclear Regulation Authority to get the go-ahead for restart after consent was given by Gov. Yuichiro Ito on Nov. 7.