Japan Press Weekly

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2012 August 1 - 14 [NUCLEAR CRISIS]

266 residents in court seek freeze on Tokai Daini NPP

Seeking a freeze on the operations and decommissioning of the Tokai Daini Nuclear Power Plant (Tokai Village in Ibaraki Prefecture), 266 residents on July 31 filed a lawsuit with the Mito District Court.

The group of parties involved in this lawsuit consists of 71 lawyers, 492 supporters, plus the plaintiffs, making up a huge court battle.

They have taken the case to court in coordination with other similar lawsuits across Japan seeking the suspension of operations at plants such as the Tomari NPP in Hokkaido and the Sendai NPP in Kagoshima.

Before filing the suit, the plaintiffs submitted to the Ibaraki prefectural government a petition signed by 170,000 people calling for a halt to the restart and the start of the decommissioning of the Tokai Daini NPP.

Co-chairman of the legal team Kawai Hiroyuki pointed out that if the plant in question causes an accident, it would affect the entire Tokyo metropolitan area, the center of Japanese politics and economy.

Kawai stated, “The Fukushima nuclear crisis has radically changed the public understanding of the nuclear ‘safety myth.’ I believe we can win in this battle.”