Court Rejects Bid to Block Restart of Central Japan N-Reactors

Toyama, March 4 (Jiji Press)--A Japanese court on Wednesday dismissed a lawsuit seeking to prevent Hokuriku Electric Power Co. from restarting the No. 1 and No. 2 reactors at its Shika nuclear power plant in Ishikawa Prefecture, central Japan.

In the lawsuit filed with Toyama District Court against the management team of Hokuriku Electric, the six plaintiffs, including shareholders of the power supplier, claimed that restarting the reactors may cause irreparable damage to the company.

Presiding Judge Toshichika Yaguchi said, "We cannot go so far as to say that there is a risk of immediate damage."

The plaintiffs claimed that necessary investigations and analyses on the safety of the nuclear power plant have not been conducted and that board directors of the company have therefore breached their duty of care.

On this, Yaguchi said, "By taking safety measures required under the new regulatory standards (of the Nuclear Regulation Authority), they are fulfilling their duty to prevent serious accidents (at the plant)."

[Copyright The Jiji Press, Ltd.]