Japan Approves Restart of World's Largest Nuclear Plant After 15 Years

Historic Nuclear Comeback After Fukushima

Japan has taken a monumental step in its energy future by approving the restart of the Kashiwazaki-Kariwa nuclear power plant, the world's largest nuclear facility. The Niigata prefectural assembly approved a bill on Monday that clears the way for utility company Tokyo Electric Power Company (TEPCO) to restart one of the plant's seven reactors , marking the first time this massive facility will operate since the 2011 Fukushima disaster.

The decision represents more than just flipping a switch on dormant infrastructure. Following the disaster, Japan shut down all 54 of its nuclear power stations including Kashiwazaki-Kariwa, which sits in the coastal and port region of Niigata about 320 kilometers (200 miles) north of Tokyo . The current timeline calls for resuming operations at the facility around January 20 of next year , with seven reactors having total generation capacity of nearly 8,000 MW .

What makes this particularly significant is the company behind the restart. Kashiwazaki-Kariwa will be the first operated by Tokyo Electric Power Co (Tepco), which ran the doomed Fukushima plant . Despite this controversial connection, "We remain firmly committed to never repeating such an accident and ensuring Niigata residents never experience anything similar," said TEPCO spokesperson Masakatsu Takata .

Economic Pressures Drive Nuclear Revival

The push to restart nuclear power stems from crushing economic realities. About 60–70% of Japan's power generation comes from imported fossil fuels, which cost the country about 10.7 trillion yen ($68 billion) last year alone . As of 2022, the country imports 97% of its oil and is the largest liquefied natural gas (LNG) importer globally .

This dependency creates both financial strain and energy vulnerability. This high dependence on energy imports makes Japan vulnerable to fluctuations in global energy markets and geopolitical tensions. In recent years, the Ukraine-Russia War highlighted this by driving up natural gas prices to record levels . For TEPCO specifically, the restart of the reactor is expected to boost its earnings by around JPY100bn ($672 m) a year .

Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi, who took office two months ago, is a strong proponent of nuclear power and has pushed to revive the crippled industry to drive down costs, and tackle inflation and a stagnant economy . The government has ambitious goals, with the Japanese government expressing the aim that nuclear power should account for 20% of Japan's energy supply by 2040, rising from 8.5% in 2023 .

Local Resistance Meets National Strategy

The restart faces significant local opposition despite government support. A survey published by the Niigata 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 . Outside the assembly, around 300 protesters, mostly elderly, gathered with signs against the reopening, in temperatures close to 6 degrees Celsius. The banners called for "support for Fukushima" and rejected the reactivation of the plant .

Personal stories underscore the lingering trauma. "We know firsthand the risk of a nuclear accident and cannot dismiss it," Ayako Oga, 52, told Reuters. Oga had settled in Niigata after fleeing the Fukushima disaster. She told the news agency that her old home was inside the exclusion zone and she still struggles with post-traumatic stress-like symptoms .

Yet the facility's restart fits into Japan's broader energy transformation. Japan has said it still has 33 active nuclear units, including the 14 that have previously restarted. The most recent facility to resume operations is the Unit 2 reactor at the Shimane site, which received a POWER Top Plant award for 2025. Shimane 2 came back online in January of this year .

Future Energy Security

The Kashiwazaki-Kariwa restart signals Japan's commitment to energy diversification beyond just economics. Japan is the world's fifth-largest emitter of carbon dioxide, after China, the United States, India and Russia, according to the International Energy Agency. But it has committed to reaching net zero emissions by 2050, and renewable energy was at the center of its latest energy plan published earlier this year .

The country's energy demands are also expected to increase in the coming years due to a boom in energy-hungry data centers that power AI infrastructure . If put back online, Kashiwazaki-Kariwa could play a key role in lowering Japan's import bill for liquefied natural gas (