14 DAY TRIAL // Ever since the Fukushima disasters, Japan's nuclear reactors were put out of business. However, recent developments might indicate that this country is going back to its old ways.
Thus, when asked by the central government, the mayor of Oi, a town in the western prefecture of Fukui, agreed to having two nuclear reactors restarted, which means that the local nuclear power plant might soon be once again up and running.
In spite of the fact that most Japanese citizens strongly disapprove of going back to using nuclear energy, the country's Prime Minister, Yoshihiko Noda, explained that there is no other way to make sure that neither the people's livelihoods, nor the economy are made to suffer.
China Daily reports that, as far as he is concerned, it is the responsibility of the Japanese government to make sure that enough electricity is supplied to local communities and small or major businesses.
Apparently, up until Fukushima, Japan got 30% of its energy from nuclear sources, so from this point of view it is quite understandable that they country can't just go green at the blink of an eye.
Since the main objective to restarting the nuclear reactors was public safety, Mayor Shinobu Tokioka made it clear that he and his fellow high officials had taken all the necessary precautions and had commissioned several safety inspections prior to deciding to re-open this power plant.
As Japan Daily Press explains, each reactor can function at its fullest potential 20 days after being started, so if Prime Minister Yoshihiko Noda gives the order this Saturday, the nuclear plant will be able to generate energy once again as early as August.
Although we understand that Japan needs to re-open this nuclear plant to meet its citizen's energy needs, we also hope this will be a temporary situation and that in the future greener options will be preferred.