Despite the heavy rain hundreds of people gathered on Friday near the Japanese prime minister's office in Tokyo to protest the restarting of the first reactor at the Ohi nuclear plant.

According to protesters, police were more numerous than during previous protests. Six police buses and dozens of police officers blocked the way to protesters preventing them from reaching the PM's office.

Police told New York Times reporter that this time "they would not let the rally block the streets".

The controversial decision to restart a nuclear plan comes just sixteen months after the earthquake and tsunami that caused radioactive leakage and killed more than 19,000 people.

This is the third Friday in a row that Japanese take to the streets of Tokyo to protest the restart of the nuclear plant. Last Friday thousands of people protested in Tokyo outside Prime Minister Yoshihiko Noda's official residence.

The decision to begin using nuclear power once more has divided public opinion, and lead to a rare instance of dissent in Japan. The government have defended their position arguing that the step was essential to boost the economy and prevent shortage of energy during the summer.