Opposition Easing, Japan Is Closer to Restart of Nuclear Plant.

TOKYO -- Japan moved closer to restarting the first of the nation's idled nuclear plants as the prime minister signaled that he might order a start-up as early as next week and as a new round of scrambling to persuade local leaders to drop their opposition appeared to be working. A decision to allow the plant to begin operating would end a standoff of months between Prime Minister Yoshihiko Noda, who has worried that the lack of nuclear power would create a further drag on the economy, and local leaders made skittish by last year's nuclear disaster. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]