A possible active geological fault beneath the decommissioned unit of reactor number two at the Tsuruga plant in central Japan, operated by Japan Atomic Power, prompted the ban by Japan’s Nuclear Regulation Authority (NRA).

Japan sits on the so-called Pacific Ring of Fire, one of the most active seismic zones in the world.

Given the relative frequency with which earthquakes occur in Japan, its buildings are constructed with infrastructures specially designed to withstand earthquakes.

However, in March 2011, a major earthquake and a tsunami, shortly after each other, caused a nuclear accident at the Fukushima Daiichi power plant, bringing about great devastation in northeastern Japan. The country is still dealing with the consequences of such traumatic event.

In the wake of the Fukushima disaster, the NRA decreed in 2023 a ban on building reactors or other major safety facilities directly above active faults.

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