A nuclear reactor in Japan has been shut down due to risks from nearby volcanoes.

The reactor at Ikata nuclear plant was restarted last year but after being shut for maintenance will now not reopen.

The decision by Hiroshima High Court is a blow to the Japanese government that had been hoping to bring dozens of plants online in the wake of the 2011 Fukushima disaster.

The power plant suffered multiple meltdowns following the tsunami that struck the country in March 2011.

Stringent new safety standards were later introduced, however, decisions to approve the restarting of other reactors in the country have been met with protests.

A man walks near a port destroyed by the 2011 tsunami (
Image:
REUTERS)
Volcanic ash spews from the crater of Mt. Shinmoedake in 2011 (
Image:
The Asahi Shimbun)

A lower court had previously ruled that Shikoku Electric Power Co. could restart its no. 3 unit, however, the high court decision has overruled that.

Only four of Japan's 42 nuclear reactors are online.

Shinzo Abe is hoping to restart more nuclear reactors (
Image:
AFP)

Prime Minister Shinzo Abe is aiming for 22% of the country's electricity to be generated by nuclear power by 2030 but such reversals could prove a major obstacle.

Before Fukushima a third of the country's electricity came from the same nuclear source.