Japan court halts nuclear plant's restart on safety fears

TOKYO－A Japanese court on Tuesday ordered a utility firm not to restart a nuclear power plant because of inadequate tsunami safeguards, citing safety concerns in line with the plaintiffs' petition.

The Sapporo District Court ruled that Hokkaido Electric Power Company should not resume operation of all three reactors at its Tomari nuclear plant, despite plant operator Hokkaido Electric Power's push to restart the plant's reactors.

Since the suit was first filed in November 2011, around 1,200 residents and their supporters have demanded that the utility firm should not resume operation of all three reactors at the Tomari nuclear plant.

The plaintiffs have also demanded that the reactors be decommissioned, though it was rejected by the court on Tuesday.

According to the suit, there are a number of active faults around the plant and on its premises, and whether existing anti-tsunami measures are sufficient has been brought into question by the plaintiffs.

They claimed the plant's disaster prevention measures do not take into account tremors that could be caused by a massive earthquake, public broadcaster NHK reported.

The plaintiffs also believed that the breakwater currently in place is not effective against tsunamis.

All three reactors have ceased operations for regular inspections since May 2012 following the 2011 earthquake-tsunami disaster, which crippled the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant.

According to local accounts, the court said the power company has not provided evidence of the safety of spent nuclear fuel stored at the plant and the plant does not have adequate protection against a tsunami. The accounts said that in the case of a plant accident, 44 of the plaintiffs who live within a 30-kilometer radius would have their human rights hindered.

Hokkaido Electric Power said it refuted the court's ruling and will "promptly" file an appeal.

Chief judge Tetsuya Taniguchi said Hokkaido Electric failed to take steps to address safety concerns and demonstrate the adequacy of the plant's existing sea wall, which was built after the Fukushima disaster but has since faced questions about its weak foundation.

The court also ruled that Hokkaido Electric had failed to adequately explain how it can ensure the safety of spent nuclear fuel inside the reactors.

Xinhua - Agencies