Japan’s nuclear opponents have suffered defeat in court. The country’s oldest operating nuclear reactor, more than 40 years old, is allowed to remain online. The Osaka District Court dismissed residents’ demands that the aging reactor 3 at the Mihama nuclear power plant in central Japan be shut down over safety concerns.
Unit 3 in Fukui Prefecture began operating in 1976. After the nuclear disaster in Fukushima in 2011, it was offline for ten years. After an interim maintenance, it has been producing electricity again since September.
Nine residents in Fukui, Shiga and Kyoto prefectures, who live within 10 to 80 kilometers of the plant, argued that the reactor would not withstand a massive earthquake. The operator Kansai Electric, on the other hand, argued that the safety requirements were met. It was the first court decision on the safety of an aging reactor.
Stricter safety standards since the Fukushima disaster
After the nuclear disaster in Fukushima as a result of a severe earthquake and a massive tsunami, Japan shut down all the reactors. It introduced stricter safety standards that generally limit the operation of reactors to 40 years. Continued operation for 20 years is possible if safety improvements are made. However, the government now wants to credit the operators for the time that the reactors were switched off after Fukushima. A Japanese nuclear power plant should then continue to exist for up to 70 years.
In June 2021, block 3 at the Mihama nuclear power plant was the first nuclear reactor to be put back into operation beyond the basic service life of 40 years. The reactor was then shut down again just four months later because anti-terror measures had not been implemented in time and there had also been a water leak. The block has been online again since September 26th.
Japan’s nuclear operators have applied for restart permission for 27 reactors that have been shut down nationwide. So far, 17 nuclear reactors have met the stricter safety requirements, 10 of which have since been put back on the grid. The government of Prime Minister Fumio Kishida also wants to start up the others if possible. The development of new types of reactors is also being considered.
