Final Updated:
The resumption follows approval from the regional governor final month, even though public belief remains sharply divided.
The enviornment’s greatest nuclear energy plant used to be restarted January 21, 2026 for the first time for the reason that 2011 Fukushima catastrophe. (AFP Picture)
Japan on Wednesday restarted the enviornment’s greatest nuclear energy plant for the first time for the reason that 2011 Fukushima catastrophe, despite ongoing security concerns amongst local residents. Tokyo Electric Energy Company (TEPCO) confirmed that one reactor on the Kashiwazaki-Kariwa plant in Niigata prefecture used to be restarted at 19:02 local time (10:02 GMT).
The resumption follows approval from the regional governor final month, even though public belief remains sharply divided. A gawk conducted in September found that spherical 60 percent of residents oppose the restart, whereas 37 percent strengthen it.
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On Tuesday, a little community of protesters, largely elderly, demonstrated in freezing temperatures stop to the plant, citing fears for their security. “It’s Tokyo’s electricity that is produced in Kashiwazaki, so why need to the folks here be keep at risk? That isn’t wise,” said 73-year-old Yumiko Abe.
TEPCO said it would carefully verify the integrity of each facility and address any issues transparently. The vast Kashiwazaki-Kariwa complex has undergone safety upgrades since the Fukushima disaster, including a 15-metre-high tsunami wall and elevated emergency power systems.
However, residents remain anxious about a serious accident, pointing to past cover-up scandals, minor incidents, and what they say are inadequate evacuation plans.
Kashiwazaki-Kariwa is the first TEPCO-run plant to resume operations since 2011. Only one of its seven reactors has been restarted so far. Fourteen reactors across Japan, mainly in the west and south, have resumed operation under strict safety regulations, with 13 currently running.
Japan’s Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi has expressed support for nuclear energy, which Tokyo hopes will reduce reliance on imported fossil fuels, lower carbon emissions, and meet growing energy demands.
Before the 2011 earthquake and tsunami that led to the Fukushima meltdown, nuclear power supplied about a third of Japan’s electricity. The government now aims for nuclear energy to provide around 20 percent of Japan’s power by 2040, up from 8.5 percent in 2023-24, as the country also expands renewable sources.
(With inputs from AFP)
First Published:
January 21, 2026, 18:17 IST
News world Japan Restarts World’s Largest Nuclear Plant Since 2011 Fukushima Disaster
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