Hokkaido governor approves restart of Tomari nuclear plant in northern Japan

The governor of Japan's northernmost prefecture Hokkaido has officially approved the restart of the No. 3 reactor at the Tomari nuclear power plant. Governor Suzuki Naomichi told the prefectural assembly on Wednesday he has considered the matter carefully, after listening to the opinions of the people of Hokkaido, municipalities and assembly members.

Suzuki would convey his decision to the central government to complete the procedure for local approval. The utility aimed to restart the No. 3 reactor as early as possible in 2027.