Japan prepares to restart world's biggest nuclear plant, 15 years after Fukushima

Japan is set to take the final step to restart the world’s largest nuclear ​power plant on Monday (December 22, 2025) when the region of Niigata votes on the resumption of operations, in a ‌watershed moment for the country’s pivot back to nuclear energy nearly 15 years after the Fukushima disaster. Kashiwazaki-Kariwa, located about ​220 km (136 miles) northwest of Tokyo, was among 54 reactors shut after the 2011 earthquake and tsunami crippled the Fukushima Daiichi plant in the worst nuclear disaster since Chernobyl. Since then, Japan has restarted 14 of the 33 that remain operable, as it tries to wean itself off imported fossil fuels. Kashiwazaki-Kariwa will be the first operated by Tokyo Electric Power Co (TEPCO), which ran the doomed Fukushima plant. Around 300 protesters, mostly older people, holding banners reading ‘No Nukes’, ‘We oppose the restart of Kashiwazaki-Kariwa’ and ‘Support Fukushima’ gathered in front of the Niigata prefecture assembly on a chilly, grey Monday (December 22, 2025), as local lawmakers prepared to make their decision later in the day. As the rally started, in temperatures ​of 6°C ahead of the vote, people were singing ‘Furusato’: a national song about connection to ⁠a birthplace, meaning ‘homeland’ in Japanese. “Is TEPCO qualified to run Kashiwazaki-Kariwa?”, a protester asked into the microphone, with the crowd yelling: “No!” If approved, TEPCO is considering reactivating the first of seven reactors at the plant on January 20, public broadcaster NHK reported. “We remain firmly committed to never repeating such an accident and ensuring Niigata residents never experience anything similar,” ​said TEPCO spokesperson Masakatsu Takata. Mr. Takata declined to comment ⁠on timing. Reculant residents wary of restart TEPCO earlier this year pledged to inject 100 billion yen ($641 million) into the prefecture over the next 10 years as it sought to win the support of Niigata residents. But many locals remain wary. A survey published by the prefecture in October found 60% of residents did not think conditions for the restart had been met. Nearly 70% were worried ‌about TEPCO operating the plant. Ayako Oga, 52, settled in Niigata after fleeing the area around the Fukushima plant in 2011 ‌with 160,000 other evacuees. Her old home was inside the 20 km irradiated exclusion zone. The farmer and anti-nuclear activist has now joined protests against what she sees as a new threat on her doorstep. “We know ‍firsthand the risk of a nuclear accident and cannot dismiss it,” said Ms. Oga, adding that she still struggles with post-traumatic stress-like symptoms from what happened at Fukushima. Even Niigata Governor Hideyo Hanazumi, who backed the restart last month, hopes that Japan will eventually be able to reduce its reliance ‍on nuclear power. “I want to see an era where we don’t have to rely on energy sources that cause anxiety,” he said. Strengthening energy security On Monday (December 22, 2025), the prefecture’s assembly will cast a vote of confidence on Hanazumi, a de facto ballot on his support for the restart. The vote is seen as the...

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