Nagoya District Court on Friday dismissed lawsuits seeking to revoke decisions by the Japanese Nuclear Regulation Authority to extend the operating lifespans of three aging nuclear reactors in Fukui Prefecture.
Presiding Judge Ryo Kenmochi upheld the NRA's approvals of 20-year extensions to the operating periods of the No. 1 and No. 2 reactors at Kansai Electric Power's Takahama nuclear plant beyond 40 years, as well as of the No. 3 reactor of the firm's Mihama plant.
The court battle centered on whether the NRA's screening standards were appropriate. The plaintiffs argued that the criteria did not adequately consider the possibility that aging reactor pressure vessels could be damaged if they are cooled rapidly in the wake of an accident.
The state argued that "the screening standards have been checked for their technical validity, and are reasonable from an international perspective."
The judge said there is nothing unreasonable in the NRA's method of predicting deterioration. Regarding the screening criteria, he said, "Their validity has been confirmed including by outside experts."
After the ruling, lawyers for the plaintiffs said in a statement that "we must say that the ruling is unfair because it only follows the government's claims."
In Japan, nuclear power reactors have a maximum operating period of 40 years in principle, set following the 2011 nuclear accident at Tokyo Electric Power Company Holdings' disaster-crippled Fukushima No. 1 plant in northeastern Japan. An extension of up to 20 years beyond the limit is allowed upon approval by the NRA.
The agency gave approvals for the Takahama No. 1 and No. 2 reactors and for the Mihama No. 3 reactor in 2016. Local residents filed lawsuits that year to challenge the decisions.
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