Takahiro Senoo

The last domino has fallen today, as Shinobu Tokioka, the mayor of the town of Oi, in the western prefecture of Fukui, has given his approval to restart two of the reactors at the local nuclear power plant. After Prime Minister Yoshihiko Noda announced his decision to restart the reactors on a live broadcast last week, all that was seen as left was getting approval from local leaders. While the central government doesn't legally need to have the permission of prefectural leaders, along with their understanding, it was something called for by Noda.