An appeals court in Japan on Tuesday ruled that the Takahama nuclear plant's Units 3 and 4 in the Fukui Prefecture – about 210 miles west of Tokyo – could be restarted. Local media are calling the decision a victory for Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, who has long advocated for a return to nuclear power in the face of rising energy costs for the country.
The Osaka High Court in western Japan refused to uphold the injunction that was issued to keep the Takahama units closed down. The injunction was issued in March 2016 as Japan wrestles with the negative feelings about nuclear power stirred up by the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Station disaster of March 2011.
The two Takahama reactors, owned by Kansai Electric Power, were among the first to be restarted after Japan imposed a moratorium on the industry until higher safety standards were put into place at each plant.
The ruling was expected and protesters greeted the decision scornfully. However, the ruling was the third time that an appeals court ruled in favor of the utility company's right to restart nuclear reactors, although the first two rulings involved courts upholding decisions of lower courts, while this time the higher court overturned a lower court ruling.
It is expected to take a month for Kansai to have the reactors turned back on, owing to maintenance tasks that are to be completed first.