A Japanese court rejected a request to suspend two nuclear reactors operated by
Plaintiffs including local residents had demanded that the utility halt operation of the Nos. 3 and 4 reactors at the Genkai nuclear power plant in Saga Prefecture, southwestern
Plaintiffs also lost in a separate case seeking to have the government's approval of operating the Genkai plant reactors revoked. Both rulings were handed down by the
Friday's ruling was closely watched following a similar case last year.
The landmark ruling was the first case for a Japanese court to withdraw government approval granted to a utility to operate a nuclear power plant under the safety standards introduced in 2013 following the meltdowns at the Fukushima Daiichi power plant in
The most contentious point in the Saga cases was whether the
In the run-up to Friday's ruling, the
In 2009, the No. 3 unit became the first commercial reactor in
After going offline like other nuclear reactors nationwide in the aftermath of the Fukushima nuclear crisis, the Genkai Nos. 3 and 4 reactors resumed operation in 2018.
==Kyodo
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