A Japanese court ruled Tuesday that a 45-year-old nuclear reactor in central Japan can continue to operate, rejecting demands by residents that it be suspended because of safety risks, a decision supportive of the government’s push for greater use of nuclear energy because of possible global fuel shortages and the country's pledge to reduce carbon emissions.
The Osaka District Court's decision came just days before Prime Minister Fumio Kishida’s Cabinet is expected to approve a new nuclear energy policy that would accelerate restarts of reactors that were idled after the 2011 Fukushima nuclear power plant disaster and extend the operating life of aging reactors.
