Japan’s Edano: no reactor restarts yet – possibly April

Japan’s trade minister Yukio Edano, who also holds the energy portfolio, said he had not set deadlines to resume operations at nuclear reactors after a media report said the government aimed to restart two reactors around April, the first since the Fukushima disaster almost a year ago, reports Reuters.

The Yomiuri newspaper, citing government sources, said the government intended to restart the No 3 and No 4 reactors at Kansai Electric Power Co’s Ohi plant in Fukui prefecture, western Japan, before the last active reactor in Japan is due to shut by the end of April for regular maintenance.

Edano said was no deadline, reflecting the public sensitivity of proposed restarts after the Fukushima disaster.