TOKYO—Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihiko Noda said Friday that nuclear energy is a vital source of power that the nation and its economy can't do without, in an attempt to accelerate the government's plan to restart two idled nuclear reactors in key areas facing electricity shortfalls.
"In order to protect the lives of our people, the Oi reactors number 3 and 4 [in western Japan] should be restarted," Mr. Noda said during a nationally televised news conference.
He also said that a temporary restart during the peak summer-demand months wouldn't be enough to safeguard Japan's energy needs and security.
As a resource-poor country dependent on energy imports, "nuclear power is an important source of energy from a security standpoint as well," Mr. Noda added.
The direct public appeal for understanding of the government's plan to restart idled nuclear reactors was widely seen as aimed at local communities that host the reactors.
Mr. Noda made the appeal as the governor of Fukui prefecture in western Japan reiterated his support for a restart of the Oi reactors in his prefecture. Gov. Issei Nishikawa has insisted Mr. Noda send a clear message to the public about the need for restarts.
Mr. Noda said he will begin the procedure to restart the reactors when local leaders give their official consent.
Mr. Noda and three other cabinet ministers could make the final decision to restart the Oi reactors as early as next week. The reactors could be activated within a day or two after that.
All of Japan's 50 nuclear reactors have gone off-line since the accident at Fukushima Dai-ichi plant last year. Most of the reactors have been shut down for regularly scheduled maintenance, with no specific restarts planned. The last one went off-line last month. Japan previously relied on nuclear power for as much as a third of its energy needs.
Mr. Noda's administration has struggled with the challenge of assuring the public and host communities that nuclear power is safe, even as it deals with the aftermath of Fukushima accident.
Mr. Noda has warned the public of the threat of power shortages in the coming summer months of peak demand. The government says the area serviced by the Oi plant, including the city of Osaka, would face shortfalls of up to 18% during the summer months.
A spokesman for the Oi plant operator, Kansai Electric Co., said, "We cannot restart without the understanding of the local communities and the country, and we will be paying attention to the public reaction to [Mr. Noda's] speech."
Community leaders have been divided about restarting reactors. The leaders of communities on the periphery of the area served by Oi have demanded the reactors be operated only during the summer months.
But earlier this week, Gov. Nishikawa criticized that proposal and called on Mr. Noda to declare a deeper commitment to nuclear power if the reactors are to be restarted at all.
—Eleanor Warnock contributed to this article.
Write to Toko Sekiguchi at toko.sekiguchi@dowjones.com
Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihiko Noda, nuclear power, nuclear reactors, nuclear energy, western Japan, Oi, Japan, Issei Nishikawa
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