{"id":6200,"date":"2025-12-22T09:33:47","date_gmt":"2025-12-22T09:33:47","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/inernews.online\/?p=6200"},"modified":"2025-12-22T09:33:47","modified_gmt":"2025-12-22T09:33:47","slug":"japan-set-to-restart-worlds-biggest-nuclear-power-plant-fukushima-news","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/inernews.online\/?p=6200","title":{"rendered":"Japan set to restart world\u2019s biggest nuclear power plant | Fukushima News"},"content":{"rendered":"<p> <br \/>\n<\/p>\n<div id=\"\">\n<p class=\"article__subhead\"><em>Kashiwazaki-Kariwa will be the latest plant to restart 15 years after the Fukushima disaster shut down the country\u2019s nuclear energy programme.<\/em><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div>\n<div class=\"article-dates\">\n<p><span class=\"screen-reader-text\">Published On 22 Dec 2025<\/span><span aria-hidden=\"true\">22 Dec 2025<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"rich-share\" data-testid=\"rich-share\">\n<div class=\"rich-share__wrapper\">\n<div class=\"rich-share__button-wrapper\"><button class=\"rich-share__button row\" aria-expanded=\"false\"><\/p>\n<p>Click here to share on social media<\/p>\n<p><svg class=\"icon icon--share2 icon--primary icon--16 \" viewbox=\"0 0 20 16\" version=\"1.1\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><title>share2<\/title><path fill=\"#000\" fill-rule=\"evenodd\" d=\"M11.688 9.048c-.659 0-1.252.282-1.673.733l-4.92-2.45c.016-.115.028-.232.028-.352 0-.117-.011-.23-.027-.343l4.913-2.423a2.285 2.285 0 0 0 1.68.739C12.964 4.952 14 3.899 14 2.6 14 1.302 12.965.25 11.688.25S9.377 1.302 9.377 2.601c0 .117.01.23.027.343L4.49 5.367a2.285 2.285 0 0 0-1.68-.739C1.536 4.628.5 5.681.5 6.979c0 1.299 1.035 2.35 2.312 2.35.659 0 1.252-.281 1.673-.731l4.92 2.45a2.357 2.357 0 0 0-.029.351c0 1.299 1.035 2.351 2.312 2.351S14 12.698 14 11.399s-1.035-2.35-2.312-2.35Z\" clip-rule=\"evenodd\"\/><\/svg><\/button><\/p>\n<p class=\"rich-share__social-text\">Share<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div aria-live=\"polite\" aria-atomic=\"true\">\n<p>Japan is set to resume operations at the world\u2019s largest nuclear power plant: Kashiwazaki-Kariwa.<\/p>\n<p>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.<\/p>\n<section class=\"more-on\">\n<h2 class=\"more-on__heading\">Recommended Stories<!-- --> <\/h2>\n<p><span class=\"screen-reader-text\">list of 4 items<\/span><span class=\"screen-reader-text\">end of list<\/span><\/section>\n<p>Niigata prefecture\u2019s assembly passed a vote of confidence on Governor Hideyo Hanazumi, who backed the restart last month, effectively allowing the plant to begin operations again.<\/p>\n<p>The 2011 triple meltdown at Fukushima, following an earthquake and tsunami, destroyed Japan\u2019s trust in its nuclear energy infrastructure.<\/p>\n<p>However, the environmental and economic costs of relying on imported fossil fuels have led Japan\u2019s new Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi to back reopening some of the shuttered plants.<\/p>\n<p>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.<\/p>\n<p>TEPCO is considering reactivating the first of seven reactors at the plant on January 20, Japanese public broadcaster NHK reported.<\/p>\n<p>The first reactor alone could boost electricity supply to the Tokyo area by 2 percent, Japan\u2019s Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry has estimated.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_4189281\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-4189281\" style=\"width:770px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><img decoding=\"async\" data-recalc-dims=\"1\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"size-arc-image-770 wp-image-4189281\" src=\"https:\/\/www.aljazeera.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/reuters_6948e1fa-1766384122.jpg?w=770&amp;resize=770%2C513&amp;quality=80\" alt=\"A woman holds a banner that reads, &quot;Against Restart&quot; near auditors seated on the day Niigata Prefectural Assembly lawmakers take part in a vote of confidence in the prefectural governor's decisions on a partial restart of the Tokyo Electric Power Company's (TEPCO) Kashiwazaki Kariwa Nuclear Power Plant, one of the world's largest nuclear power plants and which was among the reactors shut after a massive earthquake and tsunami in 2011 crippled TEPCO's Fukushima Daiichi plant, in Niigata, Japan December 22, 2025. REUTERS\/Issei Kato\" fetchpriority=\"low\"\/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-4189281\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">A woman holds a banner that reads \u2018Against Restart\u2019 as Niigata prefectural assembly lawmakers prepare to vote on reopening the Kashiwazaki-Kariwa Nuclear Power Plant, December 22, 2025 [Issei Kato\/Reuters]<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>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.<\/p>\n<p>About 300 protesters rallied to oppose the vote, holding banners reading \u201cNo Nukes\u201d, \u201cWe oppose the restart of Kashiwazaki-Kariwa\u201d and \u201cSupport Fukushima\u201d.<\/p>\n<p>Farmer and antinuclear activist Ayako Oga, 52, joined the protests on Monday in her new home of Niigata, where she settled after fleeing the area around the Fukushima plant in 2011 with 160,000 other evacuees. Her old home was within the 20km (12-mile) radius irradiated exclusion zone.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWe know firsthand the risk of a nuclear accident and cannot dismiss it,\u201d said Oga, adding that she still struggles with post-traumatic stress disorder-like symptoms.<\/p>\n<p>Takaichi, who took office two months ago, has backed nuclear restarts to strengthen energy security and reduce reliance on imported fossil fuels, which also contribute to climate change.<\/p>\n<p>Japan spent 10.7 trillion yen ($68bn) last year on imported liquefied natural gas and coal, one-10th of its total import costs.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p><br \/><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Kashiwazaki-Kariwa will be the latest plant to restart 15 years after the Fukushima disaster shut down the country\u2019s nuclear energy programme. Published On 22 Dec 202522 Dec 2025 Click here to share on social media share2 Share Japan is set to resume operations at the world\u2019s largest nuclear power plant: Kashiwazaki-Kariwa. The partial restart of [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":6201,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[7],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-6200","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-asia-pacific"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/inernews.online\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6200","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/inernews.online\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/inernews.online\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/inernews.online\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/inernews.online\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=6200"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/inernews.online\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6200\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/inernews.online\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/6201"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/inernews.online\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=6200"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/inernews.online\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=6200"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/inernews.online\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=6200"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}