Taipei Times
Date: Aug 18, 2015
By: Reuters, TOKYO
Japanese utility Kyushu Electric Power yesterday said that it was monitoring activity at a
An aerial photograph shows smoke rising from Sakurajima, one of Japan’s most active volcanoes, on Saturday. Photo: Reuters
volcano near its Sendai nuclear plant, but did not need to take any special precautions after authorities warned of the risk of a larger-than-usual eruption.
The reactor is the first to be restarted under new safety standards put in place since the meltdowns at the Fukushima Dai-ichi nuclear power plant in 2011.
Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and much of Japanese industry want reactors to be switched on again to cut energy bills, but opinion polls show a majority of the public opposes the move after the nuclear crisis triggered by an earthquake and tsunami in March 2011.
The possibility of a significant eruption of Sakurajima, about 50km from Sendai, is a reminder of the volatile geology of Japan, which has 110 active volcanoes. [FULL STORY]
