Japan set to restart world’s biggest nuclear power plant

Kashiwazaki-Kariwa will be the latest plant to restart 15 years after the Fukushima disaster shut down the country’s nuclear energy programme.Published On 22 Dec 2025Japan is set to resume operations at the world’s largest nuclear power plant: Kashiwazaki-Kariwa.The partial restart of the plant got the green light in a vote on Monday by the Niigata local government. Japan has reopened several nuclear facilities as it seeks to reduce emissions, reversing policy 15 years after 54 reactors were shut in the wake of the Fukushima disaster despite public opposition.Recommended Stories list of 4 itemslist 1 of 4Japan resumes seafood exports to China after ban over Fukushima wastewaterlist 2 of 4Magnitude 7.5 earthquake in north Japan injures 23 peoplelist 3 of 4Trump Media to merge with nuclear fusion company to power AIlist 4 of 4Rogue tankers off Singapore: What are shadow fleets and who uses them?end of listNiigata prefecture’s assembly passed a vote of confidence on Governor Hideyo Hanazumi, who backed the restart last month, effectively allowing the plant to begin operations again.The 2011 triple meltdown at Fukushima, following an earthquake and tsunami, destroyed Japan’s trust in its nuclear energy infrastructure.However, the environmental and economic costs of relying on imported fossil fuels have led Japan’s new Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi to back reopening some of the shuttered plants.Fourteen of the 33 nuclear plants that remain operable in the country have been resurrected. However, Kashiwazaki-Kariwa is the first to be operated by Tokyo Electric Power Co (TEPCO), which ran the Fukushima plant.TEPCO is considering reactivating the first of seven reactors at the plant on January 20, Japanese public broadcaster NHK reported.The first reactor alone could boost electricity supply to the Tokyo area by 2 percent, Japan’s Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry has estimated.A woman holds a banner that reads ‘Against Restart’ as Niigata prefectural assembly lawmakers prepare to vote on reopening the Kashiwazaki-Kariwa Nuclear Power Plant, December 22, 2025 [Issei Kato/Reuters]While lawmakers voted in support of Hanazumi, the assembly session showed that the community remains divided over the restart, despite the promise of new jobs and potentially lower electricity bills.