The Abe administration is pushing to restart idled nuclear power plants that have cleared safety screening by the Nuclear Regulation Authority, pending the consent of local municipalities. But the definition of "local" and whose consent is required remains a question that must be addressed as Kansai Electric Power Co. moves to bring its Takahama Nuclear Power Plant in Fukui Prefecture back online. This case will test whether the government and power companies are ready to listen to the safety concerns of people who could be affected by a nuclear disaster.

The NRA said last week that safety measures taken by Kansai Electric at reactors Nos. 3 and 4 of the Takahama plant against potential natural disaster hazards and severe accidents meet the regulations tightened in the wake of the March 2011 triple meltdowns at Tokyo Electric Power Co.'s Fukushima No. 1 nuclear power plant. The NRA's draft assessment — likely to be formalized a month later after soliciting public comments — and some additional procedures will allow the utility firm to go ahead with reactivating the two reactors once it obtains "local" consent.

The plant is located in the Fukui Prefecture town of Takahama. But within 30 km of the plant also lie parts of Kyoto and Shiga prefectures. Since the Fukushima nuclear disaster demonstrated that radiation fallout from a severe accident can affect a wide range of areas, the government has required municipalities within 30 km of a nuclear power plant to prepare evacuation plans for their residents.

The governors of Kyoto and Shiga say the restart of the Takahama plant is unacceptable unless Kansai Electric agrees to conclude agreements with them to give them a say in the safety of the plant's operation.

Power companies have so far concluded such agreements with the prefectures and municipalities that host their nuclear power plants. Based on such agreements, they have sought the approval of the local government hosting the facility in the process of restarting plants that had been put offline. Kansai Electric has an agreement on the Takahama plant with Fukui Prefecture and the Takahama municipal government. But given the serious consequences of the Fukushima disaster, a growing number of local governments near nuclear power plants also demand that they have a say in their operations.

Power companies are reluctant to extend the number of local governments with which they need to consult before resuming the operation of their offline nuclear power plants. Prefectures and municipalities that host plants receive national government grants; their economies often rely heavily on the plants in terms of tax revenue and related businesses. Bringing other prefectures and municipalities in surrounding areas into the mix would undoubtedly complicate matters for the power firms.

While pushing for the restart of idled reactors, the Abe administration takes no clear position on which local governments should be involved in the approval process. When the NRA earlier gave the safety clearance for restarting Kyushu Electric Power Co.'s Sendai nuclear power plant, the administration left the question up to Kagoshima Prefecture, where the plant is located.

Kagoshima Gov. Yuichiro Ito said the approvals of the prefecture and the host city Satsumasendai were sufficient, dismissing the safety concerns of municipalities and the residents also within 30 km of the plant. The Abe administration apparently hopes this scenario will repeat itself in the process of reactivating other idled plants.

Kyoto and Shiga prefectures have a valid point. Their residents would certainly be affected in case of a severe accident at the Takahama plant. While some 55,000 people in Fukui live within 30 km of the plant, the number of Kyoto Prefecture residents within the zone is 128,000. Part of the Kyoto Prefecture city of Maizuru lies within 5 km of the Takahama plant. It would be irrational for the government and Kansai Electric to ignore the legitimate concerns of the surrounding municipalities and their residents.