Japan has taken a decisive step toward restarting the world’s largest nuclear power plant, nearly 15 years after the Fukushima disaster prompted the shutdown of the country’s reactors.
On Monday, the Niigata prefectural assembly passed a vote of confidence in Governor Hideyo Hanazumi, who last month backed the restart of the Kashiwazaki-Kariwa nuclear plant. The vote effectively removes the final political hurdle to resuming operations at the sprawling facility on Japan’s northwest coast.
“This is a milestone, but this is not the end,” Hanazumi told reporters after the vote, stressing that ensuring the safety of residents would remain an ongoing task.
A Turning Point in Japan’s Nuclear Policy
Kashiwazaki-Kariwa, located about 220 kilometres northwest of Tokyo, was among 54 reactors idled after the 2011 earthquake and tsunami triggered the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear disaster. Since then, Japan has restarted 14 of the 33 reactors still considered operable, as it seeks to reduce dependence on imported fossil fuels.
The plant, operated by Tokyo Electric Power Company (TEPCO), has a total capacity of 8.2 gigawatts, enough to supply electricity to several million homes. Public broadcaster NHK reported that TEPCO is considering restarting the first of the plant’s seven reactors on January 20. One 1.36 GW unit is expected to come online next year, with another of the same size planned around 2030.
As reported in Reuters, TEPCO said it remains committed to safety. “We are firmly committed to never repeating such an accident,” spokesperson Masakatsu Takata said, declining to comment on the exact timing of the restart.
Public Opposition and Lingering Fears
Despite the assembly vote, the restart has exposed deep divisions within the local community. Around 300 protesters gathered outside the assembly building in Niigata, holding banners opposing the move and urging officials to remember the lessons of Fukushima.
A prefectural survey published in October found that 60% of residents believed conditions for a restart had not been met, and nearly 70% expressed concern about TEPCO’s ability to operate the plant safely.
Among the protesters was Ayako Oga, who fled the Fukushima area in 2011. “We know firsthand the risk of a nuclear accident and cannot dismiss it,” she said, adding that she still struggles with trauma linked to the disaster.
Energy Security and Economic Pressures
The restart is seen as critical to strengthening Japan’s energy security. The government estimates that bringing just one reactor at Kashiwazaki-Kariwa back online could boost electricity supply to the Tokyo area by 2%.
Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi has backed nuclear restarts to counter high energy costs and reliance on imported fuels, which account for up to 70% of Japan’s electricity generation. Last year, Japan spent 10.7 trillion yen on imported liquefied natural gas and coal.
Looking ahead, Japan expects energy demand to rise due to the growth of power-hungry AI data centres and has set a target to double nuclear power’s share of the energy mix to 20% by 2040.
For opponents like Oga, however, the restart remains deeply unsettling. “As a victim of the Fukushima nuclear accident,” she said, “I wish that no one, in Japan or anywhere else, ever again suffers the damage of a nuclear accident.”
