An Oita District Court judge rejected efforts to halt the Ikata Nuclear Power Plant on Thursday, turning down a plaintiffs¡¯ group that was seeking an injunction that cited safety concerns.

¡°The court does not recognize that there are concrete dangers related to insufficient safety at the plant, or an infringement on the lives of the residents,¡± presiding Judge Maiko Takechi said in her decision.

The ruling means Shikoku Electric¡¯s Ikata No. 3 reactor in Ehime Prefecture, located less than 50 kilometers from Oita Prefecture, will continue to operate. It is one of a dozen nuclear power plants currently in operation across the country, and the only one in Shikoku.