Local residents who sued against the restart of the Sendai reactors claimed that the risks from natural disasters were underestimated and the plant’s operator Kyushu Electric Power Co. was unable to provide credible evacuation measures, TBS Channel stated.
The court’s ruling stipulated that both reactors at Japan's Sendai Nuclear Power Plant will be launched in June 2015 after their operation was suspended for security checks in the wake of the 2011 Fukushima disaster.
The move is unprecedented since previous attempts to resume operations at Japanese nuclear facilities have failed. In particular, a Japanese court has ruled against the restart of two reactors at the Takahama plant, citing safety concerns on April 14.
The Sendai Nuclear Power Plant is due to become the first one to reopen out of the Japan’s 48 reactors currently shuttered for maintenance or safety checks.
In 2011, the Fukushima nuclear power plant was hit by a tsunami, triggered by a 9.0 magnitude offshore earthquake. The tsunami caused three of the plant's six reactors to melt down and radioactive material leaked into the atmosphere, soil and sea.
The disaster is believed to be the world's worst since Chernobyl in 1986. According to Japanese authorities, cleanup efforts could take up to 40 years.
