Japanese oppose restarting reactors after tsunami: poll

CTVNEWS

Japanese oppose restarting reactors after tsunami: poll

The Associated Press Published Monday, June 27, 2011 8:25AM EDT Last Updated Saturday, May 19, 2012 5:11AM EDT

In this photo taken Friday, June 17, 2011, released by Accident Investigation Special Committee via Kyodo News, investigators inspect the Fukushima nuclear power plant's Unit 3 reactor building in Okuma, Fukushima Prefecture, northeastern Japan. (AP /Accident Investigation Special Committee via Kyodo News)

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TOKYO - A poll suggests most Japanese oppose restarting nuclear reactors closed since the tsunami disaster.

Before the March 11 tsunami, about 30 per cent of Japan's electricity was provided by 54 reactors across the country. But since the crisis at the Fukushima Dai-ichi nuclear plant, 35 remain closed after maintenance and safety inspections.

A poll released Monday by The Nikkei, a conservative business daily, found nearly 70 per cent opposed restarting reactors now offline. Forty-seven per cent said the number of reactors should be decreased and 21 per cent said they should all be closed.

The poll of 893 eligible voters was conducted by telephone over the weekend by the Nikkei and TV Tokyo Corp. A poll of that size would normally have a 3 per cent margin of error.