<p>Japan on Sunday began switching off its last operating nuclear reactor for an inspection, with no date scheduled for a restart amid strong public hostility towards atomic power.<br /><br /></p>.<p>The move will leave the world’s third largest economy without atomic energy for the second time since the Fukushima nuclear crisis erupted in March 2011.<br /><br />Nuclear power supplied about one-third of the resource-poor nation’s electricity before a tsunami knocked out cooling systems and sparked meltdowns at Fukushima, causing tens of thousands to flee their homes.<br /><br />Prime Minister Shinzo Abe has openly supported a return to the widespread use of atomic energy, but the public remains largely opposed on safety grounds.<br /><br />Kansai Electric Power (KEPCO) on Sunday started gradually to take offline the No 4 reactor at its Oi nuclear plant in the western prefecture of Fukui.<br /><br />“The work started at 4:40 pm,” said a company spokesman. “The reactor will come to a complete stop early tomorrow (Monday).”<br /><br />Japan previously was without any nuclear energy in May 2012, when all of the country’s 50 commercial reactors stopped for checkups in the wake of the disaster.</p>
<p>Japan on Sunday began switching off its last operating nuclear reactor for an inspection, with no date scheduled for a restart amid strong public hostility towards atomic power.<br /><br /></p>.<p>The move will leave the world’s third largest economy without atomic energy for the second time since the Fukushima nuclear crisis erupted in March 2011.<br /><br />Nuclear power supplied about one-third of the resource-poor nation’s electricity before a tsunami knocked out cooling systems and sparked meltdowns at Fukushima, causing tens of thousands to flee their homes.<br /><br />Prime Minister Shinzo Abe has openly supported a return to the widespread use of atomic energy, but the public remains largely opposed on safety grounds.<br /><br />Kansai Electric Power (KEPCO) on Sunday started gradually to take offline the No 4 reactor at its Oi nuclear plant in the western prefecture of Fukui.<br /><br />“The work started at 4:40 pm,” said a company spokesman. “The reactor will come to a complete stop early tomorrow (Monday).”<br /><br />Japan previously was without any nuclear energy in May 2012, when all of the country’s 50 commercial reactors stopped for checkups in the wake of the disaster.</p>