Japan Press Weekly

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2014 April 2 - 8 [NUCLEAR CRISIS]

Hakodate City sues state & power co., seeking halt to NPP construction

Hokkaido’s Hakodate City filed a lawsuit on April 3 against the central government and a power company, demanding a halt to the ongoing construction of the nuclear power plant in Oma Town, Aomori Prefecture.

This is the first time for a local government in the country to bring a legal action seeking an injunction against construction of a nuclear power station. Hakodate City is located about 23 kilometers from the power plant across the Tsugaru Strait.

That day, City Mayor Kudo Toshiki visited the Tokyo District Court and went through the required legal proceedings in person. The mayor was accompanied by his lawyers and representatives of political groups in the city assembly, including the Japanese Communist Party.

At a press conference after the procedure, Kudo said, “We called on the state and the power company over and over to suspend the construction of the nuclear plant, but they rejected our demand. Through this trial, we want a wider range of people to be aware of the problems associated with the nuclear plant and how high-handedly the government and the utility have pushed ahead with the construction.”

JCP assemblyman Kontani Yoshitaka said, “We welcome the mayor’s decision. The JCP will fully support him in this case.”

With the approval of the state, J-Power, the plant operator, started the construction work in 2008. Following the massive disaster and the Fukushima nuclear accident in March 2011, the company suspended the construction. After that, Hakodate City and its neighboring municipalities, such as Hokuto City and Nanae Town in Hokkaido, have repeatedly called for an indefinite freeze on the construction. In October 2012, however, the state and J-Power resumed the construction without consulting with local bodies.

Past related article
> Hakodate City in court suit seeks to suspend NPP construction [February 13, 2014]