Japan has restarted a nuclear reactor despite a court challenge by local residents. The atomic plant was one of dozens shut down in wake of the 2011 Fukushima disaster. Plant operator Shikoku Electric Power said Friday it switched on the No. 3 reactor at its Ikata nuclear power plant in Ehime prefecture, about 700 kilometers (430 miles) southwest of Tokyo. Japan ended nearly two years without nuclear power a year ago when Kyushu Electric Power restarted reactors on the southern island of Kyushu. The island nation now has three operating reactors despite public skepticism following the disastrous 2011 Fukushima meltdowns that led to calls for Japan to phase out nuclear power. The reactor … read more