Imari mayor again Genkai restart

July 5, 2016

Local mayor vows not to approve restart of Genkai nuke plant

http://mainichi.jp/english/articles/20160705/p2a/00m/0na/004000c

IMARI, Saga -- Imari Mayor Yoshikazu Tsukabe said on July 4 that he had no intention of approving a plan to restart the Genkai Nuclear Power Plant in Saga Prefecture.

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The Saga Prefecture city of Imari falls within 30 kilometers from Kyushu Electric Power Co.'s Genkai nuclear power station. Imari Mayor Tsukabe said at a regular news conference, "I have no intention of giving consent to restarting (the nuclear plant)."

It is the first time for the head of a municipal government among eight municipalities in three prefectures of Saga, Fukuoka and Nagasaki that are within 30 kilometers from the Genkai nuclear plant to voice such opposition.

Tsukabe said, "If a nuclear accident occurs, we can't recover from it," adding, "I will state my opposition (if I am questioned by the prefectural government)."