The Shizuoka District Court has rejected residents' demand to halt operation of Chubu Electric Power's Hamaoka nuclear plant, noting that the reactors at issue are shut down and no restart is in sight. The court said it could not rule on the points in dispute.
The suit sought an injunction against units 3 through 5 of the plant. In its decision, the court pointed out that each reactor has stopped operating and that there is no prospect of them being restarted, and on that basis declined to reach a judgment on the safety arguments.
The outcome leaves the central question the residents brought — whether the reactors are safe to run — without a court answer. Because the ruling rests on the plants sitting idle rather than on their safety, it does not resolve what would happen if Chubu Electric moved to restart them.
The court's reasoning was reported in summary form, and the full text of the decision was not immediately available.