The only nuclear plant located in a Japanese prefectural capital was restarted Saturday in the city of Matsue after meeting stricter safety requirements introduced following the 2011 Fukushima disaster.

Chugoku Electric Power Co aims to resume commercial operations of the No. 2 reactor at the western Japan nuclear plant in early January after starting transmission and distribution of electricity in late December, the Hiroshima-based company said.

The restart of the reactor in Shimane Prefecture comes after operations were suspended in January 2012 for a standard inspection that preceded the implementation of more stringent safety assessments that the two-reactor plant was then required to pass.

The No. 2 unit is a boiling water reactor identical to those that formerly operated at the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power station, which was crippled in the wake of a massive earthquake and tsunami in March 2011.

The unit became the second of its type to resume operations, following the restart in late October of the No. 2 reactor at Tohoku Electric Power Co's Onagawa plant in northeastern Japan.

The reactor has been a source of concern in the event of a natural disaster as around 450,000 people reside within a radius of 30 kilometers, prompting local governments to draw up evacuation plans and conduct drills.

Local residents have filed lawsuits to block the restart of the reactor due to safety concerns, but the Matsue branch of the Hiroshima High Court rejected their most recent attempt in May.