Japan court issues injunction to halt restart of Kansai Elec's Takahama reactors, page-13

Ruling to block restarting of nuclear reactors 'regrettable': Japan NRA head

• By Japan Bureau Chief Michiyo Ishida
• POSTED: 15 Apr 2015 21:10
• UPDATED: 15 Apr 2015 21:14

The head of Japan's nuclear watchdog has criticised a court's landmark decision to stop the restarting of two nuclear reactors in the western Fukui Prefecture.


TOKYO: The Chairman of Japan’s Nuclear Regulation Authority, or NRA, says the decision by a Japanese District Court to stop the resumption of two nuclear reactors is "regrettable".

Shunichi Tanaka was speaking at a news conference a day after the Fukui district court in western Japan stopped plans to restart the Takahama reactors, citing safety concerns.

Mr Tanaka says the court's ruling was the result of a misunderstanding of new NRA regulations, and has accused the Fukui Court of not getting its facts right. He also says Japan has some of the strictest regulations in the world, and has declined to revise existing regulations.

But the court disagrees with Tanaka's assessment of the NRA's regulations. It has criticised the regulatory body for setting regulations that it found to be "so loose", they would fail to promise safety.

Tuesday's injunction is a fresh blow to Shinzo Abe's government, which has been keen to restore the country's use of nuclear power, after the 2011 Fukushima nuclear accident.

All of Japan's operable nuclear reactors remain offline four years on. A district court in Kagoshima in southern Japan will give its ruling on a similar injunction request on April 22, for the restart of two nuclear reactors at the Sendai plant.