Japan orders restart of two nuclear reactors shut by tsunami Though engineers will need several weeks to power up Ohi reactors 3 and 4, Noda's announcement formally breaks the stalemate in a months-long debate about Japan's short-term energy plan. A majority here argued that earthquake-prone Japan should back away from nuclear power because of safety concerns. But Noda and his powerful lieutenants argued that Japan's economy would wither if the country remained nuclear-free and short on energy. The restart at Ohi could open the door for reactors to come back online elsewhere in the country, and Noda has said that the government will make judgments "on individual cases," based on safety. "We are determined to make further efforts to restore people's trust in nuclear policy and safety regulations," Noda said Saturday, according to the Kyodo News agency. In the 15 months since the Fukushima disaster - an earthquake- and tsunami-triggered triple meltdown that forced the evacuation of some 100,000 - Japan has already managed to first abandon nuclear power and then re-embrace it. As Japan's 50 working reactors were shuttered because of either safety concerns or routine maintenance checks, officials in host communities formed a stiff resistance against any restart orders. Many charged that Tokyo had done too little to reform its discredited nuclear regulatory system or break up the traditional cozy ties between government and utility companies. In early May, a final nuclear reactor on the northern island of Hokkaido came offline, and Japan, briefly, was nuclear free. But Noda has pushed local mayors and regional governors to reconsider their stance, emphasized the damage of rolling blackouts that would potentially cause companies to relocate overseas. In recent months Noda aimed hardest at those in Fukui Prefecture (or state), home of the Ohi plant, where units 3 and 4 had already passed so-called "stress tests." Thursday, the Ohi town mayor consented to the restart of two of Ohi's four reactors. Saturday morning, the Fukui governor visited the prime minister's office and gave his approval. Though Japan is not required by law to have local approval for nuclear restarts, such consent has long been a de facto prerequisite. Fukui prefecture is often called "nuclear alley," because it hosts four plants and feeds energy to a chain of major cities - Kyoto, Osaka and Kobe - just to the south. That region, before last year's disaster, was Japan's most nuclear-reliant, depending on reactors for 50 percent of its energy. Without nuclear power, government estimates suggested that the region could fall 15 percent short of peak demand this summer. The government might push next to restart the No. 3 reactor at the Ikata nuclear plant, in the country's southwestern corner. That reactor has passed an initial stress test conducted by Japan's Nuclear and Industrial Safety Agency. Public opposition remains massive. Specifically at Ohi, 71 percent said they were against a "hasty" restart at the plant, according to a survey conducted by the Mainichi newspaper earlier this month. Friday night, several thousand protested outside the prime minister's office, yelling, "We oppose the restart!"