日本將重啓核反應堆 Japan to restart nuclear reactor

Japan will begin to bring online a nuclear reactor for the first time in nearly two years on Tuesday in a step towards reviving the country's nuclear industry devastated by the 2011 Fukushima disaster.

日本將於週二啓動一座核反應堆，這是該國將近兩年來首次啓動核反應堆，此舉的目的在於重振因2011年福島(Fukushima)核災難而受到毀滅性打擊的日本核工業。

In a statement on Monday, Kyushu Electric Power said the No 1 reactor at the Sendai plant in southern Japan is expected to start generating power Friday before reaching full capacity in early September, writes the FT's Kana Inagaki in Tokyo.

在週一的一份聲明中，九州電力(Kyushu Electric Power)表示，仙台核電站1號反應堆預計將於週五開始發電，並將在9月初實現全力運轉。

The restart would be the first under new safety requirements implemented after a tsunami in March 2011 caused a series of devastating meltdowns in Fukushima.

這次重啓將是首次依照2011年3月一場海嘯後實施的新安全規定運轉。那場海嘯導致福島發生一系列毀滅性的熔堆事故。

All of Japan's nuclear reactors remain offline, posing a serious challenge to a country with no fossil fuel reserves of its own. Restarting some reactors would help Japan reduce its energy import bill and lower greenhouse gas emissions.

目前，日本所有核反應堆依然處於停機狀態。對自身沒有化石燃料儲量的日本來說，這種局面帶來了嚴重挑戰。重啓部分核反應堆將有助於日本減少用於能源進口的開銷，降低溫室氣體排放。

But a nuclear restart would be a further blow to Prime Minister Shinzo Abe's already sliding popularity as public opposition remains strong towards Japan's return to nuclear energy. The road to rebooting Japan's atomic industry has not been smooth, with many citizens protesting against restarts.

不過，重啓核反應堆可能會進一步打擊日本首相安倍晉三(Shinzo Abe)已在不斷下滑的民意支持率，原因是公衆依然強烈反對日本恢復使用核能。日本重振核工業的道路並不平坦，許多日本公民因反對重啓核反應堆舉行過抗議活動。

"We will carefully move forward with the restart process, putting the highest priority on ensuring safety," Kyushu Electric said in a statement.

九州電力在一份聲明中表示：“我們將小心推進重啓過程，把確保安全放在首位。”