On May 27, 2019, 45 Japanese citizens filed suit to block the construction of a new coal-fired power plant. The plaintiffs filed a legal challenge against the Japanese Minister of Economy, Trade and Industry, seeking cancelation of the notice of finalization of the environmental impact assessment for the construction of two new coal-fired generating units - totaling 1,300 MW - at the Yokosuka power plant. The plaintiffs allege that JERA, the plant operator, improperly exploited a streamlined assessment process for replacements or upgrades that the Japanese Government created after the Fukushima Fukushima Daiichi nuclear accident.

Key environmental legal questions:

Plaintiffs challenged environmental impact assessment of coal-fired generating units.