NIIGATA, JAPAN: Japan has taken the final step to restart the world’s largest nuclear power plant, Kashiwazaki-Kariwa, nearly 15 years after the Fukushima disaster, following a vote of confidence in Niigata Governor Hideyo Hanazumi. The move allows Tokyo Electric Power Co (TEPCO) to resume operations at the plant, marking a major milestone in Japan’s gradual return to nuclear energy.
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Kashiwazaki-Kariwa, located about 220 km northwest of Tokyo, was among 54 reactors shut after the 2011 earthquake and tsunami triggered the Fukushima Daiichi disaster. Since then, Japan has restarted 14 of the remaining 33 operable reactors as part of efforts to reduce reliance on imported fossil fuels. TEPCO, operator of the Fukushima plant, is set to reactivate the first of seven reactors on January 20, potentially boosting electricity supply to Tokyo by 2 percent.
#Japan‘s #Niigata Prefecture approved on Monday to restart the #KashiwazakiKariwa nuclear power plant located in the prefecture, the world’s largest nuclear power plant, more than a decade after the #Fukushima disaster. pic.twitter.com/EC8RF4Hls0
— ShanghaiEye🚀official (@ShanghaiEye) December 22, 2025
Japan’s Niigata Prefecture on Monday approved the restart of the Kashiwazaki-Kariwa nuclear power plant, the world’s largest, more than a decade after the Fukushima nuclear disaster, local media reported.
The prefectural assembly’s consent means that Tokyo Electric Power Company… pic.twitter.com/C0N71jWEY4— People’s Daily, China (@PDChina) December 22, 2025
The restart, however, has sparked protests. Around 300 demonstrators, mostly older residents, gathered outside the Niigata prefectural assembly chanting “No Nukes” and warning against repeating Fukushima. Many locals remain skeptical; a recent survey found 60 percent believed conditions for the restart had not been met, and nearly 70 percent were worried about TEPCO’s management of the plant.
TEPCO has pledged 100 billion yen ($641 million) in investments to Niigata over the next decade to gain local support. The company also emphasized its commitment to safety, with spokesperson Masakatsu Takata assuring that lessons from Fukushima will not be repeated.
Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi, who took office two months ago, has strongly backed nuclear restarts to strengthen energy security and reduce costly fossil fuel imports. Japan aims to double nuclear power’s share in electricity generation to 20 percent by 2040 to meet rising demand from AI data centers and its decarbonization goals.
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For anti-nuclear activists like Ayako Oga, who fled Fukushima in 2011, the restart is a chilling reminder of past risks. “As a victim of the Fukushima nuclear accident, I wish that no one ever suffers such damage again,” she said.