With the Japanese government's decision to restart one of the Sendai nuclear plant's two 30-year-old reactors for the first time since the Fukushima disaster in March 2011, Japan has become a nation divided.
The decision represents a victory for Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, who insists that without nuclear energy the Japanese economy will buckle beneath the weight of expensive oil and gas imports. But the Japanese population has yet to come to terms with the Fukushima disaster, which is seen as the world's worst nuclear crisis in 25 years. The disaster saw the evacuation of 160,000 people and the closure of all the country's 48 working reactors for safety checks.
The 100,000 residents of Satsumasendai, along with the rest of Japan are debating the pros and cons of this move. Evacuation in case of an emergency is a strong point against the decision.
"There are schools and hospitals near the plant, but no one has told us how children and the elderly would be evacuated," said Yoshitaka Mukohara, a representative of a group opposing the Sendai restart, according to The Guardian. "Naturally there will be gridlock caused by the sheer number of vehicles, landslides, and damaged roads and bridges."
National polls in Japan show that most Japanese oppose nuclear restarts. Ryoko Torihara, a Satsumasendai resident who is campaigning to the keep the reactors idle says that the town's council is reluctant to gauge local opinion. "They won't conduct a poll of local people because they're scared of the result," she said, according to Journal Focus. "They're aware that Japan has fared perfectly well without nuclear power for almost two years."
Meanwhile, Greenpeace has accused Japan's government and nuclear industry of cutting corners in its desperation to put reactors back online.
"They are disregarding fundamental principles of nuclear safety and public health protection. The same players in the 'nuclear village' that delivered Japan the Fukushima Daiichi tragedy in 2011 are attempting to kick-start nuclear power again," said Shaun Burnie, a nuclear specialist based at Greenpeace Germany, according to The Guardian.
As the Sendai plant prepares to lead Japan into an uncertain age of nuclear power generation, it continues to raise many pertinent questions.
