TOKYO, Nov. 11 (Xinhua) -- A nuclear reactor in northeastern Japan damaged by the 2011 tsunami and earthquake disaster received the final approval on Wednesday to restart operations after clearing the last hurdle with local offices.
The governor of Miyagi Prefecture approved the restart of the No. 2 reactor at Tohoku Electric Power Company's Onagawa nuclear plant, the first reactor in the region affected by the disaster to win local consent for restart.
Miyagi Governor Yoshihiro Murai and the mayors of Onagawa and Ishinomaki, the two municipalities hosting the plant unit, gave their consent at a meeting after the plant passed national safety screening in February.
The assemblies of Onagawa, Ishinomaki and Miyagi had earlier agreed to allow the reactor to go back online.
The central government has been pushing for resuming the reactor's operation to ensure a stable power supply, with Trade Minister Hiroshi Kajiyama seeking Murai's consent in March, according to local media.