Local News

Hideo Kishimoto, the mayor of Genkai-cho, Saga Prefecture, informed Kyushu Electric Power that he had withdrawn his approval for the restart of the currently idled nuclear reactors at the power plant in his municipality. He cited as his reasons a lack of trust in the national government, which without warning called for the stress test of nuclear reactors, and the clandestine e-mail campaign by some employees at Kyushu Electric calling for the restart of the plant. Saga Prefecture Gov. Yasushi Furukawa, who had indicated to METI Minister Banri Kaieda that he also would approve of the restart, is also in a quandary about whom to trust in government.