A Japanese court decided Friday to allow five aging nuclear reactors to continue operations at plants in central
In handing down the ruling, Presiding Judge
The reactors are operating based on stricter quake resistance standards implemented after the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear accident in 2011, and factors unique to the locations of the reactors have been appropriately assessed, Kato said. The safety measures necessary for operating such aging facilities have been taken, he added.
Mihama's No. 3 unit, which opened in 1976, became in 2021 the country's first nuclear unit to operate beyond the government-mandated 40-year service period, introduced under rules established after the 2011 Fukushima crisis.
The service period for reactors was subsequently extended to 60 years or more in 2023 if sufficient safety upgrades are made.
Takahama's Nos. 1-4 reactors commenced operations between 1974 and 1985, with Nos. 1 and 2 reactors rebooted last year for the first time since the 2011 disaster.
Nine Fukui residents who filed the complaint over the Mihama No. 3 unit said in a statement the ruling was "unjust," while the utility said its argument was reflected in the ruling.
==Kyodo
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