The Otsu District Court's provisional injunction earlier this month ordering Kansai Electric Power Co. to shut down reactors 3 and 4 at its Takahama nuclear power plant in Fukui Prefecture — against which the utility filed a complaint last week— carries a significance that other power companies, the government and the nation's nuclear regulators must not ignore.
The court charged that Kepco's explanations as to why the reactors' safety in the event of severe accidents is secure are inadequate, called on the national government to develop standards for evacuation plans for residents in the event of a nuclear accident, and expressed concerns about the Nuclear Regulation Authority's basic approach toward nuclear safety following the 2011 disaster at the Fukushima No. 1 nuclear power plant.
The power industry and the government should take the decision as a warning that they should not push for the restart of idled plants unless they can fully ensure the plants' safety and are prepared to adequately protect residents in the event of a major accident.