Japan restarts full commercial operation of second N-reactor

Tokyo: A second nuclear reactor resumed full commercial operation on Tuesday at the Sendai nuclear plant in Japan's Kagoshima prefecture under safety regulations adopted in the wake of the 2011 Fukushima disaster.

The resumption of full commercial operation followed a final two-day inspection by the Nuclear Regulation Authority (NRA), Japan's nuclear watchdog, Xinhua news agency reported.

The plant's No 2 reactor joins Kyushu Electric Power Company's No 1 reactor being fully rebooted in September, marking the first nuclear power plant to resume full commercial operations following new safety regulations.

The move comes as part of the government's push to bring more of the nation's idle nuclear reactors back online following tougher safety checks by Japan's nuclear regulator, as importing fossil fuels has impacted the trade deficit and taken a huge chunk out of the government's budget.

The No 3 reactor of Shikoku Electric Power Company's Ikata nuclear power plant in Ehime prefecture, as well as the No 3 and No 4 reactors of Kansai Electric Power Company's Takahama nuclear power plant in Fukui prefecture, are among some of the candidates likely to be given the green light by the NRA to resume operations, followed by Kyushu Electric Power's resumption of operations of its No 3 and No 4 reactors at its Genkai nuclear power plant in Saga prefecture, in Kyushu.