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Japan restarts world's largest nuclear power plant

2026-01-21 11:49:00, Kosova & Bota CNA

Japan restarts world's largest nuclear power plant

Japan has restarted a reactor at the world's largest nuclear power plant, nearly 15 years after a disaster at the Fukushima power plant forced the country to shut down all of its nuclear reactors. Operation of reactor No. 6 at the Kashiwazaki-Kariwa plant northwest of Tokyo resumed today.

This is the restart of nuclear power in Japan, which still has a lot of work to do. The seventh reactor is not expected to return to operation until 2030, and the other five could be dismantled. That leaves the plant with much less capacity than it once had when all seven reactors were in operation.

Japan, which had always relied heavily on energy imports, was an early adopter of nuclear power. But those ambitions were dashed in 2011 by what is now remembered as one of the worst nuclear disasters in history.

Triggered by the most powerful earthquake ever recorded in Japan, the meltdown of the reactors at Fukushima Daiichi led to radioactive leaks. This traumatized local communities who were evacuated, and many have not returned despite official assurances that it was safe to do so.

Fear and distrust fueled public opposition to nuclear power, and Japan suspended its entire fleet of 54 reactors immediately after the Fukushima disaster.

Japan has spent the past decade trying to restart those power plants. Before 2011, nuclear power accounted for nearly 30% of Japan's electricity, and the country planned to increase that share to 50% by 2030.

Its energy plan last year unveiled a softer target: it wants nuclear power to provide 20% of its electricity needs by 2040. /CNA





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