Japanese court orders suspension of Takahama n-reactors

A Japanese court on Wednesday issued an injunction to suspend operations of Takahama No.3 and No.4 nuclear reactors in Fukui prefecture.

It is the first such injunction for reactors currently in operation, public broadcaster NHK reported.

Twenty-nine residents of neighbouring Shiga prefecture sought an injunction last November demanding that the plant's operator, Kansai Electric Power Company, suspend operations of the No.3 and No.4 reactors. They claimed the reactors were unsafe and at risk of major accidents.

The surprise ruling was carried out by the Otsu district court.

The plant's No.3 reactor restarted in January this year under new government regulations introduced after the 2011 Fukushima disaster.

The No.4 reactor resumed operations last month, but three days later it shut down automatically for reasons still under investigation.

Kansai Electric Power will have to stop the No.3 reactor as soon as possible since the injunction takes effect immediately.