The government will soon file a suit seeking removal of tents set up on the premises of the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry by activists opposed to nuclear power, METI Minister Toshimitsu Motegi said Friday.

Motegi said a settlement through civil court proceedings was needed to remove the tents.

Motegi, whose ministry oversees atomic power administration, said METI has asked to activists to strike the tents but they have refused.

He said the campaigners have illegally occupied state property for a long time.

The antinuclear activists set up the tents in September 2011, half a year after the start of the triple meltdown calamity at the Fukushima No. 1 power plant following the March 11, 2011, megaquake-tsunami disaster.

The tents are seen as a symbol of the activists seeking to end Japan’s reliance on nuclear power.

One of the leaders of the tent movement, Taro Fuchigami, 70, said his group would consult with lawyers to deal with the government’s legal action, adding there is nothing illegal about the tents.