Speeding up the restart of nuclear reactors halted in the wake of the 2011 Fukushima nuclear accident may be Japan’s “best option” for riding out any oil and gas shortages that result from sanctions imposed on Russia, a senior ruling party lawmaker said.

Itsunori Onodera, a former defence minister and senior lawmaker in the ruling Liberal Democratic Party, said: “If we could have the nuclear reactors working, if we could speed that up, if you could obtain the understanding of the people after having verified safety – speeding up inspections and then speeding up the restarts, that’s definitely a choice.”