“This is a landmark victory for people living in the shadow of shut-down reactors across Japan and a devastating blow against the nuclear industry and the policies of the Abe government,” said Hisayo Takada, Deputy Program Director at Greenpeace Japan.
“The court is sending a clear message to the nuclear industry nearly a week after the prosecution of TEPCO executives for criminal negligence that led to the Fukushima Daiichi disaster. It’s a message that nuclear power has no place in Japan’s energy future.”
The Otsu District court in Shiga prefecture handed down an injunction against Takahama 3 and 4 nuclear reactors in Fukui Prefecture. Takahama 3 restarted operations on 26 January 2015.
The plant’s operator, KEPCO, also attempted to restart the unit 4 reactor, but three days after restart it had an emergency shutdown due to a previously undiscovered or overlooked problem. This was attempted less than a week after a radioactive leak in the primary containment loop was discovered.
The restart of the Takahama reactors has been plagued with unresolved safety issues and lax oversight. The Nuclear Regulatory Authority (NRA) gave these reactors an exemption from compliance with fire safety regulations. In the week before restart, a radioactive leak was found.
Greenpeace Japan’s investigations into the marine impact of the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear accident will also come to an end this week. Over the past three weeks a radiation team on board a Japanese research vessel have surveyed an area spanning 100 kilometres of Fukushima’s coastline. The results of the survey work and sample analysis, from radiation laboratories in Japan and France, will be compiled and assessed during the next two months and expected to be published in the coming months.
Note to editors:
New video and photos of the latest investigations, including survey work at the Fukushima Daiichi plant, are available at:
Photos: http://photo.greenpeace.org/shoot/27MZIFJ6IX7UR
Video: http://photo.greenpeace.org/shoot/27MZIFJ6IXKD9
Full collection: http://photo.greenpeace.org/collection/27MZIFJ6FW8FN
Media contacts:
Kendra Ulrich, Senior Global Energy Campaigner, Greenpeace Japan, 
, +81 9064 785 408
Chisato Jono, Communications Officer, Greenpeace Japan, 
, mob: +81 80 6558 4446
Greenpeace International Press Desk, 
, phone: +31 (0) 20 718 2470 (available 24 hours)