Court Rejects Bid to Halt Western Japan N-Reactor

Iwakuni, Yamaguchi Pref., Feb. 26 (Jiji Press)--A Japanese court on Thursday dismissed a petition seeking to stop operations of the No. 3 reactor of Shikoku Electric Power Co.'s Ikata nuclear power plant in the western Japan prefecture of Ehime.

“It cannot be acknowledged that there exists any concrete danger to the plaintiffs’ lives or bodies,” Presiding Judge Akira Ogawa of the Iwakuni branch of Yamaguchi District Court said, rejecting the petition filed by 162 residents in Yamaguchi Prefecture, also in western Japan, and other areas, who argued that operations should be suspended due to safety concerns.

The plaintiffs are considering filing an appeal.

The main points of contention included the assumptions regarding potential earthquakes and the assessment of volcanic eruption risks posed by Mount Aso in the southwestern Japan prefecture of Kumamoto, which is located about 130 kilometers from the nuclear plant.

The residents claimed that the plant’s proximity to a fault zone, which they believe may be active, requires a special evaluation under the new national regulatory standards. However, they said no such assessment has been carried out.

[Copyright The Jiji Press, Ltd.]