Japan restarts nuclear reactor using plutonium-mixed fuel
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Japan has restarted a nuclear reactor that uses plutonium-based fuel, the first of that type to resume operations under stricter safety rules introduced after the 2011 Fukushima disaster.
The No. 3 reactor at Takahama nuclear plant in western Japan, operated by Kansai Electric Power Co., was restarted Friday. It is the first that uses a plutonium-uranium hybrid fuel known as MOX to go back online since the accident.
Two reactors that use conventional uranium fuel were restarted last year.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Japan's large stockpile of plutonium has raised nuclear security concerns, and the government is trying to reduce the amount by burning it in reactors.
The pro-business government is pushing to restart as many reactors as possible after they are deemed safe. Forty remaining workable reactors are still offline for safety checks.