Reactions to court ruling

May 21, 2014

Kansai Electric to appeal ruling 

http://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/english/news/20140521_35.html

Kansai Electric says it will promptly take procedures to appeal the ruling.

The firm issued a statement on Wednesday expressing regret that the court failed to take up its claim.

The utility said it will study details of the ruling and underscore the plant's safety in a higher court.

May 21, 2014 - Updated 08:03 UTC

Nuclear Regulation Authority on ruling

http://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/english/news/20140521_32.html

Japan's Nuclear Regulation Authority has been conducting safety screening at Ohi and other plants to determine whether they can be restarted.

NRA Chairman Shunichi Tanaka says he has no comment on court rulings.

He said the authority will continue its safety screening of the Ohi plant in accordance with its policy.

May 21, 2014 - Updated 08:17 UTC

Court rules against restarting Ohi reactors

http://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/english/news/20140521_80.html

A Japanese court has ordered the operator of the Ohi nuclear power plant not to restart 2 of its reactors, citing insufficient safety measures.

The facility is located in Fukui Prefecture, central Japan. Its no. 3 and 4 reactors were shut down for regular inspections last September.

Local residents filed a lawsuit to keep the reactors offline. They said the plant operator's estimate of possible earthquakes is too small, and the reactors lack sufficient cooling systems.

Operator Kansai Electric Power Company has insisted that no safety problems exist.

On Wednesday, presiding judge Hideaki Higuchi of the Fukui District court said the operator's earthquake estimate at the plant is too optimistic and not reliable.

He cited the fact that during the past 10 years there have been 5 cases in Japan where actual tremors exceeded prior estimates set by the operators.

The judge also referred to problems at the plant including the emergency cooling function in the event of an earthquake.

The court also said during the Fukushima nuclear crisis, authorities considered evacuating people living within 250 kilometers of the plant. Therefore, it upheld the claims of the plaintiffs living within that distance.

The court ruling is the first since the accident, against resuming operations at a nuclear plant.

All 48 of Japan's commercial reactors are currently off-line.

Kansai Electric says it will promptly take procedures to appeal the ruling. The firm issued a statement on Wednesday expressing regret that the court failed to take up its claim.

The utility said it will study details of the ruling and underscore the plant's safety in a higher court.

May 21, 2014 - Updated 12:30 UTC