Photo/Illutration The No. 3 reactor of the Mihama nuclear power plant in Fukui Prefecture (Asahi Shimbun file photo)

OSAKA--A district court here on Dec. 20 rejected a request by residents for a temporary injunction on operations at the aging No. 3 reactor of the Mihama nuclear power plant in Fukui Prefecture.

Nine residents of Kyoto, Fukui and Shiga prefectures submitted the lawsuit seeking the temporary injunction on the grounds the risk of a major accident at the reactor had increased because of the more than four decades the plant has been in use.

In June 2021, the reactor became the first more than 40 years old to resume operations after the 2011 triple meltdown at the Fukushima No. 1 nuclear power plant.

The plaintiffs also argued that a fault directly under the plant as well as in the vicinity of the plant site created the possibility of the foundation under the plant shifting.

Noting the many nuclear plants in Fukui Prefecture, the plaintiffs also argued that Kansai Electric Power Co.’s evacuation plan for the Mihama plant was inadequate and did not consider the possibility of simultaneous accidents at the other plants.

Kansai Electric argued that there were no safety issues to worry about.

After the No. 3 reactor at the Mihama plant resumed operations, it again went offline to beef up security against terrorist acts. The reactor resumed operations on Aug. 30 and has been supplying electricity to Kansai Electric since Sept. 1.

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