TOKYO (Reuters) - Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihiko Noda said onFriday he has decided that two idled nuclear reactors in westernJapan must be restarted to protect jobs and avoid damage to theeconomy, adding that steps had been taken to prevent a recurrenceof the Fukushima disaster. The decision - expected to be confirmed at a meeting with keyministers - will ease worries about power shortages among firms inthe region, including struggling electronics giants Panasonic Corpand Sharp Corp. But the move, seen by many as a first step to bringing morereactors on line, could undermine Noda's already sagging supportamong voters still worried about safety after the world's worstnuclear crisis in 25 years. Noda said the government had confirmed that even if Kansai ElectricCo's two reactors at its Ohi plant in Fukui lost power as happenedafter Fukushima, there would be no damage to the reactors' core. "Cheap and stable electricity is vital. If all the reactors thatpreviously provided 30 percent of Japan's electricity supply arehalted, or kept idle, Japanese society cannot survive," Noda said,pointing to the possibility that more companies would shiftproduction offshore and jobs would be lost. "It is my decision that Ohi reactors No.3 and No.4 should berestarted to protect the people's livelihoods," Noda said. Nuclearpower had supplied nearly 30 percent of Japan's electricity needsbefore last year's earthquake and tsunami wrecked the Fukushimaplant. All of the country's 50 reactors have been taken offline sincethen, risking power shortages especially in the western metropolisof Osaka and other parts of Kansai Electric Power Co's servicearea. A group of regional governors, long concerned about whether it wassafe to resume power generation at the two reactors, last weeksignaled their agreement to the restarts as a "limited" step. But the governor of the host prefecture of Fukui has yet to signoff, saying the ball was in the government's court and insistingthat Noda make his stance clear to the public. A formal decision isexpected to be made at a meeting of Noda and other key ministersafter the Fukui governor responds. (Reporting by Linda Sieg and Kaori Kaneko; Editing by MichaelWatson and Nick Macfie). I am an expert from plasticpackaging-bags.com, while we provides the quality product, such as Wine Gift Bags Manufacturer , Laminating Pouch Film, Plastic Packaging Bags,and more.
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