One year after the Fukushima nuclear disaster, evidence continues to accumulate of the widespread distribution of radioactive elements, including plutonium, which pose significant threats to human health and the environment. Meanwhile,
environmental groups in Japan are launching litigation, trying to prevent the reopening of some of the shuttered nuclear power plants.
Oi Unit 3 nuclear power plant located in Fukui prefecture is said to be the first on line for re-start of nuclear power. It is owned/operated by Kansai Electric.The Kansai region is Japan’s second-largest industrial area, and, prior to the Fukushima nuclear disaster, obtained almost 50 percent of its power from 11 nuclear reactors north of the major cities Osaka and Kyoto.
Today, 259 residents of Fukui, the Kansai area including Osaka and Kyoto, and Gifu filed a lawsuit against Kansai Electric, in Osaka District Court?2-1-10 Tenma, Kita-ku, Osaka 530-0047), seeking an injunction to prevent restart of Kansai Electric’s nuclear power plants Oi Unit 3 and 4. The three municipalities, Kyoto, Osaka and Kobe, are part owners in the plant; they have jointly asked Kansai Electric Power Co. to break its dependence on nuclear power.