Experts judged that a reactor at Japan’s oldest nuclear station on the west coast is located on ground at high risk of an earthquake.

Experts judged on Wednesday that a reactor at Japan's oldest nuclear station on the west coast is located on ground at high risk of an earthquake.

This could set in motion a process that will likely lead to the first permanent shutdown of a nuclear plant since the 2011 Fukushima crisis, Reuters said.

The move would be the most stringent measure adopted since the meltdowns at the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear station exposed failings in nuclear oversight.

All 50 reactors in the country were closed down for checks and only two have since been brought back on stream.