A court in Japan Wednesday ruled that the country's second largest nuclear power plant meets earthquake safety standards and can legally operate, backing the government over a residents' group.
Three years ago a lower court ordered a shutdown of one reactor at the Shika nuclear plant, handing a victory to campaigners who argued that government safety rules underestimated the size of a quake that could hit the plant.
Japan's government the following year raised the minimum quake safety standard from 6.5 to 6.8 on the Richter scale — and plant operator Hokuriku Electric Power Co. later reported the reactor met those standards.
Last June the government allowed the reactor in northwestern Ishikawa prefecture to resume operations.
The Nagoya High Court branch in Kanazawa prefecture on Wednesday backed that decision and overturned the original court ruling ordering the shut-down.
The plaintiffs — 128 people from 16 prefectures — told private broadcaster TBS they would launch a Supreme Court appeal. They argue nuclear plants should be able to withstand magnitude 7.3 quakes.
Top government spokesman Takeo Kawamura welcomed the ruling.
"We believe earthquake safety is sufficiently secured," he said.
"We will continue to strive to gain the confidence of local residents and the Japanese people by imposing strict safety controls on the nuclear facility according to the latest scientific knowledge."
Hokuriku Electric Power said: "We regard the ruling as confirmation of the plant's safety, a point we have made over the past three years."
