Japan to Restart Nuclear Plants Deemed Safe

Japan's newly appointed trade minister Yuko Obuchi on Wednesday reiterated the government's policy that it will proceed with restarting nuclear power plants that clear the nation's new safety standards.

"When it comes to nuclear power plants, we should put safety before everything else. If they are deemed to have met the new standards, we will respect that decision and proceed with restarts," Obuchi told her inaugural news conference.

"There are still voices of opposition and worry. Naturally, I believe nothing is more important than winning understanding among people who are concerned, including those in communities that host plants."

No nuclear reactors are currently operating in Japan, which suffered a tsunami-triggered nuclear disaster in March 2011.

(Reporting by Kentaro Hamada and Kiyoshi Takenaka; Editing by Edmund Klamann)