A nuclear plant in southern Japan has been granted preliminary approval to restart under new rules introduced after the 2011 Fukushima disaster.<br /><br />Since then all of Japan’s nuclear reactors have been gradually taken offline but the initial green light from the regulator could pave the way for a return to nuclear power. <br /><br />Yet fears persist among protesters who showed their disapproval of the move by demonstrating outside the offices of the Nuclear Regulation Authority. It will make a final decision on the two reactors at the Sendai plant after a month-long public consultation.<br /><br />Prime Minister Shinzo Abe is pushing to restart all 48 nuclear reactors, as a prolonged shutdown forces Japan to rely on expensive fossil fuel imports.<br /><br />“I think they will conduct a reliable safety review in order to ease the worries of the public,” said Chief Cabinet Secretary and top government spokesman Yoshihide Suga, reacting to the regulator’s announcement on Sendai.<br /><br />An earthquake and tsunami crashed into the Fukushima plant in March 2011, triggering the worst nuclear disaster since Chernobyl in 1986.<br /><br />Battling to tackle the contamination, plant operator Tepco is building a massive underground ice wall to contain leaking radioactive water.
