Only 20% of municipalities will OK reactor restarts: poll
KYODO
MAR 2, 2014

Only about a fifth of the 156 local governments situated within 30 km of a nuclear power plant would give the nod to reactor restarts if regulators declared them safe, a survey says.

Of those 37 governments, 13 said they would do so unconditionally if reactors cleared the Nuclear Regulation Authority’s safety review, and 24 said they would attach conditions, the Kyodo News survey said Saturday.

Another 66, or about 40 percent, said they would be unable to make a judgment even if reactors cleared safety standards introduced after the Fukushima meltdowns in March 2011.

The poll also found that 32 would not endorse reactor restarts in their area even if they cleared the NRA screenings.

The results indicate widespread caution about restarting nuclear power plants even as the central government pushes for restarts ...