One of Japan's reactor restarts out of its five currently operating nuclear reactors has been shut down by the Hiroshima High Court, which has overruled a lower court's ruling on the safety of the plant.
The Ikata nuclear power plant's Unit 3, restarted in 2016, has been shut down over a fear of volcanic activity that could create a major accident, according to the court ruling. The plant is operated by Shikoku Electric Power Company.
The ruling is a setback for the government, which has targeted nuclear power to provide 22 percent of the country's electricity generation. The ruling leaves only four reactors operating in the country out of a potential 42, the majority of which are idled while power companies complete safety upgrades mandated after the March 2011 accident at the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Generating Station.