Japan closes nuclear reactor after discovery leak

tokio - A nuclear reactor in the southwest of Japan was taken out of use after a week, after a leak was discovered on Friday. According to owner Kyushu Electric Power no radioactive radiation is released.

It concerns reactor 3 of the Genkai power plant, which is located on the island of Kyushu. After the discovery of the leak, electricity production has been stopped and the reactor is being investigated.

The reactor was re-commissioned last Friday after seven years. Local residents had complained about the nuclear power plant before the Fukushima nuclear disaster in 2011. Since then, legislation has become stricter.

In Japan, only four reactors are operational. Before the disaster in 2011, one third of the energy in the country was generated via nuclear power plants, with more than fifty reactors.