News Summary: Japan gets reprocessed nuclear fuel
Japan gets 1st shipment of reprocessed nuclear fuel since 2011 disaster forced shutdowns
BACK IN BUSINESS: A nuclear power plant received the first shipment of reprocessed reactor fuel to arrive in Japan since the 2011 Fukushima disaster, although it will not be used until the facility gets government approval to restart its reactors.
CONTENTIOUS GUEST: The fuel, a mixture of uranium and plutonium oxide, arrived aboard a freighter from France at the Takahama nuclear power station on the Sea of Japan coast in western Japan. Dozens of anti-nuclear activists rallied outside the complex, chanting slogans against the shipment and use of plutonium-based fuel.
THE LONG ROW: All but two of Japan's 50 nuclear reactors have been closed for safety checks and upgrades since a tsunami and earthquake in March 2011 touched off meltdowns and explosions at the Fukushima Dai-ichi plant, northeast of Tokyo, causing extensive damage and massive radiation leaks.
