Regional authorities in the Japanese prefecture of Kagoshima approved the restart of the two-reactor Sendai plant on Friday, paving the way for Japan's gradual return to nuclear energy after a shutdown following the 2011 Fukushima nuclear disaster.

Kagoshima's prefectural assembly backed the restart with a large majority in a vote, completing the required process of local consent. Japan has given regional authorities a decisive say in whether nuclear reactors should resume operations.

"I have decided that it is unavoidable to restart the No. 1 and No. 2 Sendai nuclear reactors," Governor Yuichiro Ito told reporters, while admitting that the move had aroused concern among some local residents.

Friday's vote was accompanied by protests held by opponents of nuclear power.

Preliminary permission to resume operations at Sendai, 1,000 kilometers (600 miles) southwest of Tokyo, was given in mid-September by the Nuclear Regulatory Authority.

Nuclear shutdown

If the decision is carried through, Sendai would become the first nuclear power plant to restart under a new regulator established to ensure increased safety after a massive earthquake and tsunami caused the Fukishima Daiichi plant to suffer multiple meltdowns in 2011.

All 48 workable reactors in Japan have been shut down since the accident except for two that have been operated temporarily for about a year.

Before the disaster, around 30 percent of Japan's electricity was supplied by nuclear power, a shortfall that has been filled since then by the import of expensive fossil fuels.

Prime Minister Shinzo Abe has been pushing to revive the stalled nuclear industry in Japan, saying the shutdown is hurting the economy.

Shares in Kyushu Electric, the operator of the Sendai plant, jumped 4.0 percent on Friday, compared with the 0.5 percent rise on Tokyo's Nikkei index.

tj/kms (Reuters, AP)