Experts question the system that boosts annual grants to nuclear plant host municipalities by 100 million yen per reactor that has turned 40. The central government "is taking the opposite direction, even though it is supposed to promote decommissioning" of old reactors, an expert said.

Japan has eight reactors that have turned 40, including the No. 1 reactor at Tokyo Electric Power Company Holdings Inc.'s  Fukushima No. 1 power plant in the town of Okuma, Fukushima Prefecture, northeastern Japan.

Six are in the central Japan prefecture of Fukui--the No. 1 reactor at Japan Atomic Power Co.'s Tsuruga plant in the city of Tsuruga, the No. 1 to No. 3 reactors at Kansai Electric Power Co.'s Mihama plant in the town of Mihama, and the No. 1 and No. 2 reactors at Kansai Electric's Takahama plant in the town of Takahama.

The remaining one is the No. 1 reactor at Chugoku Electric Power Co.'s  Shimane plant in Matsue, the capital of the western Japan prefecture of Shimane.

All except the Mihama plant's No. 3 reactor and the Takahama plant's No. 1 and No. 2 reactors have been decommissioned.

For the decommissioned ones, the central government provided the extra annual grant of 100 million yen to each unit until their decommissioning was decided.

Okuma with a decommissioned reactor received a total of 200 million yen, Tsuruga with a decommissioned one 600 million yen and Mihama with two decommissioned reactors and one reactor still in use 1.1 billion yen. (Jiji Press)