Local residents had called for units to be shut down over safety concerns
A Japanese district court on Friday (29 March) rejected petitions from residents and allowed five commercial nuclear reactors in western Japan to continue operations.
Local residents had asked the Fukui District Court to halt operation the five reactors – one at the Mihama nuclear power station and four at Takahama –citing inadequate safety measures.
The five plants, in Fukui Prefecture on the Sea of Japan coast, are all operated by Kansai Electric Power Company.
According to the Japan Times, in the petitions, the plaintiffs claimed that the design basis earthquake ground motions for the Mihama and Takahama stations are unreasonably low, given the strength of past earthquakes in Japan.
However, presiding judge Yasushi Kato said it is necessary to fully consider regional differences when evaluating earthquake ground motions, and found no problems with Kansai Electric’s survey or the Nuclear Regulation Authority’s (NRA) screening.
The court also found that the plant operator’s checks on the aging of facilities were reasonable.
The court rejected the plaintiffs’ claim that evacuation plans are inadequate.
Mihama-3, the only unit that remains in operation at the Mihama site, began commercial operation in 1976, and Takahama’s four units between 1974 and 1985.
All of Japan’s nuclear power plants were shut down following the 2011 Fukushima disaster for rigorous safety checks and inspections. The country has been returning reactors to service in recent years.
Mihama-3 and Takahama-1 and -2 have been restarted with NRA approval for operation beyond 40 years.
Kansai Electric has also applied to operate Takahama-3 and -4 beyond 40 years and the Takahama-1 beyond 50 years.
