Kishida hopes that Japan will have nine operational nuclear reactors for the winter in the face of the energy crisis

July 15 (EUROPA PRESS) –

Japan’s Prime Minister, Fumio Kishida, has emphasized the importance of the country having up to nine nuclear reactors for the winter months to deal with the energy crisis.

Although Japan has ten reactors that have resumed operations, only five are currently supplying power. One of them, Genkai reactor number 4 in Saga prefecture, will be shut down in order to carry out risk prevention and safety work before the arrival of winter.

The other five are also waiting for a series of checks to be carried out for their start-up or they are simply disconnected until the corresponding inspections are completed, according to information from the newspaper ‘The Japan Times’.

The Minister of Economy, Koichi Hagiuda, has indicated this Friday that he plans to meet the objectives of the prime minister and that, to this end, he will review the existing construction plans to comply with the new safety standards. “We are going to give priority to safety. If the Nuclear Regulation Authority approves its start-up, we will proceed,” he explained.

In addition, he has asserted that he will seek the approval of local communities to implement these measures, even if it is not a legal imperative. The idea, according to Kishida, is to secure 10 percent of Japan’s total energy supply during the winter. “If these objectives are met, we will be able to guarantee the greatest electricity supply in three years,” the president asserted.

However, several groups opposed to the use of nuclear energy have urged to stop this process and have presented a series of demands in order to hinder the start-up of the reactors for safety reasons.