Japan has taken its final procedural step toward restarting the world’s largest nuclear power plant after a regional assembly vote on Monday cleared the way for operations to resume, marking a pivotal moment in the country’s gradual return to nuclear energy nearly 15 years after the Fukushima disaster.
The Kashiwazaki-Kariwa nuclear plant, located about 220 kilometres northwest of Tokyo, was among 54 reactors shut down following the 2011 earthquake and tsunami that triggered the Fukushima Daiichi meltdown, the worst nuclear accident since Chernobyl. Since then, Japan has restarted 14 of the 33 reactors that remain technically operable as it seeks to reduce dependence on imported fossil fuels. Kashiwazaki-Kariwa will be the first plant operated again by Tokyo Electric Power Co (TEPCO), the utility behind the Fukushima facility.
On Monday, Niigata prefecture’s assembly approved a confidence motion in Governor Hideyo Hanazumi, who had expressed support for the restart last month, effectively removing the final local obstacle to resuming operations.
Calling the decision a milestone, Hanazumi cautioned that ensuring public safety would remain an ongoing responsibility. While the assembly backed the governor, the final session of the year highlighted deep divisions within the community, despite promises of job creation and potentially lower electricity costs.
Opponents criticised the decision as politically driven and disconnected from public sentiment. Outside the assembly building, around 300 protesters gathered in cold weather, holding banners opposing the plant’s restart and expressing solidarity with Fukushima victims.
TEPCO is considering reactivating the first of the plant’s seven reactors as early as January 20, according to public broadcaster NHK. The facility has a total capacity of 8.2 gigawatts, enough to supply electricity to several million households. The planned restart would initially bring a 1.36-gigawatt unit online, with a second reactor of similar capacity targeted for operation around 2030.
A TEPCO spokesperson said the company remains committed to preventing a repeat of past nuclear accidents, though declined to comment on the restart timeline. The company’s shares rose 2% in Tokyo trading, outperforming the broader Nikkei index.
Despite TEPCO’s pledge earlier this year to invest 100 billion yen in Niigata over the next decade to gain local support, public unease remains strong. A prefectural survey released in October found that 60% of residents believed conditions for a restart had not been met, while nearly 70% expressed concern about TEPCO’s ability to safely operate the plant.
Among the protesters was Ayako Oga, who fled the Fukushima region in 2011 and has since settled in Niigata. She said her experience of the disaster left lasting trauma and reinforced her opposition to nuclear power.
Even Governor Hanazumi has said he hopes Japan can eventually reduce its reliance on nuclear energy, expressing a desire for an energy system that does not generate public anxiety.
The assembly vote is widely viewed as the final hurdle before TEPCO brings the first reactor back online, which Japan’s trade ministry estimates could increase electricity supply to the Tokyo region by about 2%.
Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi, who took office two months ago, has supported nuclear restarts as part of efforts to strengthen energy security and curb the high costs of imported fossil fuels, which currently account for 60% to 70% of Japan’s power generation. Japan spent roughly 10.7 trillion yen on imported liquefied natural gas and coal last year.
Despite a declining population, Japan expects electricity demand to rise in the coming decade due to the rapid expansion of energy-intensive AI data centres. To meet demand and achieve decarbonisation goals, the government aims to double nuclear power’s share of the electricity mix to 20% by 2040.
Industry experts say public acceptance of the Kashiwazaki-Kariwa restart would be a critical step toward meeting those targets. Earlier this year, Kansai Electric Power announced plans to begin surveys for a new reactor in western Japan, the first such move since Fukushima.
For many residents, however, the revival of nuclear power remains deeply unsettling. Protesters at Monday’s vote said the restart revives painful memories of Fukushima and warned of the lasting consequences of another nuclear accident, both for Japan and beyond.
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