Japan Press Weekly

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2021 March 17 - 23 [SOCIAL ISSUES]

Mito District Court orders suspension of Tokai Daini nuclear power plant

The Mito District Court on March 18 ordered the suspension of operations of Japan Atomic Power Co's Tokai Daini nuclear power station located in Tokai Village in Ibaraki Prefecture due to the absence of appropriate evacuation planning for the surrounding densely-populated areas.

The plaintiffs' group, consisting of 224 Ibaraki residents, has claimed that it would be almost impossible to flee for refuge all at once in the event of emergency as 940,000 people live within a 30-km zone from the Tokai Daini power plant.

The court said that the existing escape plan is far from realistic and stated, "The current disaster prevention scheme is extremely inadequate to protect residents and it could encroach on residents' personal rights." The court pointed out, "The lives and health of local residents could be seriously and critically damaged."

After the ruling, Kawai Hiroyuki, head of the plaintiffs' counsel, evaluated the court decision which finds the current evacuation scheme "impossible to perform" as meaningful and historic. He said, "The unity of the plaintiffs has brought about today's victory in court."

Kobayashi Eiji, a plaintiff in his 70s who lives within a 1-km radius of the Tokai Daini, said, "I live in a place where I will never be able return to if a nuclear accident occurs. I want the authorities to accept the court decision. The decommissioning of the Tokai Daini will be the only way to protect Ibaraki residents' lives and livelihoods."

Past related article:
> 266 residents in court seek freeze on Tokai Daini NPP [August 1, 2012]