Japan is a step closer toward a nuclear power restart as 19 of 26 Satsumasendai assembly members voted to approve switching on the Sendai nuclear power plant despite protests from anti-nuclear groups.
Satsumasendai is a city with 100,000 residents in the Kagoshima prefecture about 600 miles southwest of Tokyo, which is 180 miles southwest of the Fukushima Daiichi power plant that suffered severe damaged after the March 2011 earthquake and subsequent tsunami.
Japan shut down its entire nuclear fleet of 48 power plants after the disaster.
The Sendai plant could be the first restart for the country. Wednesday's vote, however, is not the final step before the plant can be put back into operation. It must pass safety checks and Kagoshima officials must vote to approve the restart as well, The Guardian reported.
While anti-nuke groups protested the vote, pro-industry advocates said the vote was a symbolic breakthough that may make it easier to gain restart approval in other locations.
The public, however, is wary due to increased volcanic activity in the area. Geologists warned this week that Mount Ioyama, 60 miles from the Sendai facility, was threatening to erupt. In late September, an unexpected ash plume erupting from Mount Ontake killed 50 persons, making it the deadliest volcano in Japan since 1902.
Japan's Prime Minister Shinzo Abe has been supporting nuclear power restarts, citing economic factors. Abe's top nuclear official Yuko Obuchi, however, was forced to resign due to a financial scandal and Yoichi Miyazawa, the new minister of the economy, trade and industry, was also hit with accusations of financial impropriety soon after taking office on Oct. 20.