Overview
- Kyowa’s council on Nov. 4 adopted a petition backing an early restart of Hokkaido Electric’s Tomari Unit 3, following a similar decision by Tomari Village’s assembly.
- Hokkaido Electric is reported to be aiming for an early 2027 restart, but formal consent from Hokkaido Prefecture and all four host municipalities remains pending as Governor Naomichi Suzuki and local leaders have yet to take positions.
- The reactor has cleared the Nuclear Regulation Authority’s safety review, and Kyowa submitted its pro-restart opinion document to the mayor.
- Hokkaido said a red-crowned crane recovered in Tsurui on Oct. 31 tested positive for an A-type avian influenza virus, and further testing will determine whether it is highly pathogenic.
- The Diet held its first representative-question session since the Takai administration took office, with debate focusing on proposals to reduce Lower House seats; separately, Fukuoka’s Ariake Sea opened seaweed seeding in November for the first time, and police in Takikawa urged caution over pedal misapplication after a Nov. 3 crash.