The approval is a crucial step towards reactivation. The nuclear power plant has been closed since the Fukushima disaster in 2011, which led to a safety review of all nuclear power plants in the country.
Hideyo Hanazumi, governor of Niigata prefecture where Kashiwazaki-Kariwa is located, said at a press conference that he will approve the reactivation. The next step is for the country's nuclear authority to give its permission.
So far, 14 reactors have been reactivated after strict safety standards were introduced.
