Located 1,000km southwest of Tokyo in Kagoshima prefecture, the two-reactor Sendai plant was constructed by Kyushu Electric Power.
Reuters cited Japan Governor Yuichiro Ito as saying to reporters: "I have decided that it is unavoidable to restart the No. 1 and No. 2 Sendai nuclear reactors.
"I have said that assuring safety is a prerequisite (for restart) and that the government must ensure safety and publicly explain it thoroughly to residents."
The Sendai plant will not restart operations until next year as the company is due to complete operational safety checks.
Japan gradually closed all of its 48 nuclear reactors following 2011 Fukushima nuclear disaster, forcing the country to import expensive fossil fuels for power generation.
In October, Japan’s Satsumasendai Assembly voted in favor of restarting the two reactors at Sendai nuclear power station.
