A group of 26 residents of Shiga Prefecture has filed a suit with the Otsu District Court in Shiga Prefecture to block Kansai Electric Power Co from restarting two nuclear reactors at its Takahama plant in neighboring Fukui Prefecture.

The plaintiffs argued that the reactors sit above active geological faults and posed a threat to the local community because they are not designed to withstand an earthquake as powerful as the one that struck off the Tohoku region in March 11, 2011, NTV reported Saturday.

Another group of local residents filed a similar suit last autumn but it was turned down by the Otsu court.

The Takahama plant's two reactors are currently offline for maintenance, but Kansai Electric has applied to the government for permission to restart them.

Last this year, the Nuclear Regulation Authority (NRA) inspected the Takahama plant's upgraded design and safety features and gave the green light for restarting the reactors.

The Takahama plant is one of many that have applied to restart, as Prime Minister Shinzo Abe's government moves to restore nuclear reactors to operation and reduce Japan's use of expensive fossil fuels.

© Japan Today