(CNN) A district court in Japan ordered a nuclear plant to stop operations on
Wednesday, the first time an injunction has been issued to halt an
operational nuclear reactor.
The order, granted after residents in the area filed a complaint with the
court, comes just one day before the five-year anniversary of the Tohoku
Earthquake that triggered the Fukushima nuclear disaster.
Kansai Electric Power Company's Takahama nuclear plant in western Japan.
Kansai Electric Power Company's Takahama nuclear plant in western Japan.
Plant operator Kansai Electric Power Co. (KEPCO) suspended the operation of
the No. 3 reactor at the Takahama nuclear plant immediately after the Ohtsu
district court issued its order, the company said in a statement.
The Takahama No. 3 reactor is one of two nuclear reactors running under new
safety standards adopted by the government after the 2011 Fukushima nuclear
incident, KEPCO said. It added that it will appeal the decision immediately.
The No. 3 reactor had just restarted operations in January and is the
second reactor at the Takahama plant to suspend operations in two months.
Operations at the No. 4 nuclear reactor were suspended in February, right
after it had restarted, due to technical problems.
Japan's energy struggles 5 years after Fukushima disaster
japan fukushima energy future ripley pkg_00015522
Japan's energy struggles 5 years after Fukushima disaster 02:39
Japan allowed nuclear reactors to restart last August after a nationwide
moratorium implemented in 2011, hoping to reduce energy imports that had
led to skyrocketing utility bills. However, the decision has generated much
controversy over safety regulations.
Japanese media polls show that as much as 70% of the public oppose the
expansion of nuclear power in the country.
Prior to the Fukushima nuclear disaster, reactors generated about 30% of
Japan's total energy.
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