A Japanese court decided Friday to allow five aging nuclear reactors to continue operations at plants in central Japan run by Kansai Electric Power Co., rejecting local residents' safety concerns that led to demands for suspensions.
The Fukui District Court denied injunctions to halt the No. 3 reactor at the Mihama plant and Nos. 1-4 reactors at the Takahama plant, both in Fukui Prefecture on the Sea of Japan coast. The reactors started commercial operations between 1974 and 1985.
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.
