Japan awaits watchdog OK to restart nuke reactorsOctober 5, 2012 - 13:10 AMT PanARMENIAN.Net - Japan’s Economy Minister Seiji Maehara said on Friday, Oct 5 nuclear reactors can be restarted if a new regulator deems them safe, throwing into confusion how the dozens of units idle since the Fukushima disaster could be used in future energy plans, Reuters reported. Maehara, whose ministry had led debate in the cabinet on energy policy, said a new law empowered the regulator to endorse bringing reactors back on line. He said the idle reactors could be a key source of power generation for now, a notion certain to anger Japan's growing ranks of opponents of nuclear power. "If safety is approved, such reactors would be considered as an important power source," Maehara, who also oversees national strategy, told a news conference. "We should rely on nuclear as an energy option for the time being." But procedures for going ahead with restarts remain unclear. The new nuclear watchdog, the Nuclear Regulation Authority (NRA), said this week it does not hold ultimate responsibility to authorize reactor restarts and is concerned solely with safety. All 50 working commercial reactors in Japan were taken offline for safety checks following the earthquake and tsunami that triggered meltdowns at the Fukushima Daiichi plant in the worst nuclear accident in a quarter of a century. Two units were brought back on line after receiving an endorsement from now defunct regulatory bodies, but the final decision on restarting them was taken by Prime Minister Yoshihiko Noda and three other ministers. Noda's cabinet last month took account of anti-nuclear sentiment in devising a new energy policy that sought to end reliance on nuclear power by the 2030s by fostering renewable energy sources and supporting energy conservation. Top stories Authorities said a total of 192 Azerbaijani troops were killed and 511 were wounded during Azerbaijan’s offensive. In 2023, the Azerbaijani government will increase the country’s defense budget by more than 1.1 billion manats ($650 million). The bill, published on Monday, is designed to "eliminate the shortcomings of an unreasonably broad interpretation of the key concept of "compatriot". The earthquake caused a temporary blackout, damaged many buildings and closed a number of rural roads. Partner news | About 32,000 rally in Yerevan to deman Pashinyan’s resignation About 31,700 people attended an opposition rally on Thursday, May 9 in Yerevan demanding the resignation of Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan. Armenian, Azerbaijani Foreign Minister to meet in Almaty Armenian Foreign Minister Ararat Mirzoyan and his Azerbaijani counterpart Jeyhun Bayramov will meet in Almaty. Viva-MTS: Tech solutions to modernize infrastructure of border village The border village has been the focus of Viva-MTS and the Foundation for the Preservation of Wildlife and Cultural Values since 2015. Ucom's fixed network launched in Artashat To mark this occasion, the company has introduced a special offer exclusively for Artashat residents. |