The owner of the Fukushima nuclear power plant is edging closer to having one of its nuclear reactors restarted for the first time since the 2011 disaster.
Hideyo Hanazumi, the governor of the Niigata region, where Japan's largest nuclear power plant is located said the prefecture would give its consent for restart.
It will need final approval from Japan's nuclear regulator before the plan to resume operations at the Kashiwazaki-Kariwa facility, operated by Tepco, goes ahead.
If approved, it would be the first time Tepco is allowed to recommence nuclear reactor operations in Japan since its Fukushima plant went into meltdown following a tsunami.
Residents in Niigata are divided over whether the plant should be restarted or not.
