Japan has restarted a second reactor at a nuclear power plant.
The government is trying to bring down energy prices, but faces widespread opposition to nuclear power following the Fukushima meltdown.
On Thursday, Kyushu Electric Power restarted a second reactor at the Sendai nuclear power plant on the island of Kyushu, located 1,000 kilometers southwest of Tokyo and only 50 kilometers from the active Sakurajima Volcano, DW reported.
The reactivation marks the second nuclear reactor to go back on stream since the Fukushima nuclear meltdown in 2011. Following the earthquake-tsunami triggered disaster, the government gradually shut down nuclear power plants pending a review and security checks.
The government of Prime Minister Shinzo Abe in 2014 reversed the previous government's decision to phase out nuclear power, arguing it was necessary to provide cheap and affordable energy.
Before the disaster, the world's third largest economy got a third of its energy from nuclear power, but has since had to rely on expensive liquefied natural gas and oil imports.
Tokyo plans to increase nuclear power as a share of the country's energy profile to between 20-22% by 2030. However, the return of nuclear power faces stiff public opposition following Fukushima.
