Japanese court halts nuclear reactor

TOKYO (AFP) — A Japanese court for the first time ordered the suspension of an operating nuclear reactor due to safety concerns after residents said the plant would be at risk in an earthquake.

Resource-poor Japan relies on nuclear generation for 30 percent of its electricity, but nuclear projects have witnessed rising opposition due to a series of mostly minor accidents, the latest of which took place Wednesday.

The Kanazawa District Court in central Japan ordered the number two reactor of Hokuriku Electric Power's plant in Ishikawa prefecture to stop operations.

"The building structure of the reactor has a problem in that it underestimates the damage from an inland earthquake," judge Kenichi Ido said.

"It is feared that local residents may get exposed to radiation if an accident occurs due to a quake that is larger than what the power company estimates," he said.

The company pledged to ...