TOKYO (Reuters) - Nearly a third of Japan's ruling party lawmakers are petitioning Prime Minister Yoshihiko Noda to be cautious about restarting nuclear reactors given safety concerns after last year's earthquake and tsunami, an organizer said on Tuesday.
Noda, keen to restart two reactors in western Japan before electricity demand peaks this summer, could decide as early as this week to reconnect them to the grid - despite the risk of a backlash that would weaken his already sagging voter ratings.
"It is clear from surveys that the majority of the people think that we can survive this summer by conserving energy and transferring electricity among regions," said the petition, to be presented to Noda's government later in the day.