Japan court rejects bid to halt active Shikoku nuclear reactor, NHK reports

Shikoku Electric Power's Ikata nuclear plant is pictured in Ikata

TOKYO (Reuters) - A Japanese court rejected a complaint demanding the shutdown of Shikoku Electric Power's Ikata No.3 reactor, in the first formal ruling on the legal battle for the nuclear plant in western Japan, public broadcaster NHK reported on Thursday.

The Oita District Court's ruling against the local residents worried about natural disaster risks allows the 30-year-old, 890-megawatt active reactor to continue operating.

Shikoku Electric had faced two court injunctions to stop the reactor in 2017 and 2020, but both orders had been overturned by higher courts later.

(Reporting by Kantaro Komiya; Editing by Chang-Ran Kim)