Japan on Monday restarted the world’s largest nuclear power plant after an earlier attempt was suspended due to a minor technical issue, its operator Tokyo Electric Power Company (TEPCO) announced.
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The Kashiwazaki-Kariwa nuclear power plant in Japan’s Niigata region was brought back online at 2:00pm local time (0500 GMT), marking its first restart since the 2011 Fukushima nuclear disaster. The facility had remained offline after Japan shut down its nuclear reactors following the earthquake and tsunami that triggered meltdowns at the Fukushima Daiichi plant.
TEPCO had initially attempted to restart one of the plant’s seven reactors on January 21, but the process was halted the next day after a monitoring system alarm detected slight changes in electrical current in one cable. Officials later clarified that the readings were within safe limits and said the alarm settings had since been adjusted.
Japan is increasingly turning back to nuclear energy as part of efforts to reduce reliance on fossil fuels, achieve carbon neutrality by 2050, and meet rising electricity demand driven by technologies such as artificial intelligence. Conservative Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi, who secured a decisive election victory on Sunday, has been a strong proponent of nuclear power to support economic growth.
According to TEPCO, commercial operations at Kashiwazaki-Kariwa are expected to begin on or after March 18, following a further comprehensive safety inspection.
Although Kashiwazaki-Kariwa is the world’s largest nuclear facility by capacity, only one reactor has been restarted so far. Since the Fukushima shutdown, 14 reactors across Japan — mainly in western and southern regions — have resumed operations under stringent safety regulations, with 13 operational as of mid-January.
Kashiwazaki-Kariwa is also the first nuclear unit operated by TEPCO to restart since 2011. The company continues to manage the decommissioning of the Fukushima Daiichi plant.
The Kashiwazaki-Kariwa complex has undergone major safety upgrades, including the construction of a 15-metre-high tsunami wall, elevated emergency power systems, and enhanced disaster-prevention measures. However, public opinion in the surrounding area remains sharply divided. A Niigata prefecture survey conducted in September showed that about 60 percent of residents oppose the restart, while 37 percent support it.
Local residents and civic groups have raised concerns over the risk of accidents, citing TEPCO’s past safety scandals, minor incidents, and what they describe as inadequate evacuation plans. On January 8, seven anti-nuclear groups submitted a petition bearing nearly 40,000 signatures to TEPCO and Japan’s Nuclear Regulation Authority opposing the restart.
“We will continue to demonstrate our commitment to safety as our priority at the Kashiwazaki-Kariwa Nuclear Power Station through our actions and results,” TEPCO said in a statement.
