Japan has begun the first stage of deliberations on whether to partially restart the Kashiwazaki-Kariwa Nuclear Power Plant — the world’s largest — as the country pushes to strengthen its domestic energy supply.
The Niigata prefectural assembly opened discussions on Tuesday on Tokyo Electric Power Co’s (TEPCO) proposal to restart Unit 6 of the plant, located about 300km northeast of Tokyo on the Sea of Japan coast. The facility has been offline since the 2011 Fukushima Daiichi disaster, which prompted Japan to shut down all 54 of its reactors at the time.
TEPCO President Tomiaki Kobayakawa, speaking during a tour for Japan Business Federation delegates, said nuclear power remains critical for a resource-scarce Japan. He highlighted the company’s expanded safety measures, as workers in protective gear conducted drills at the plant.
Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi has also voiced support for restarting more reactors to secure energy supplies and reduce Japan’s dependence on costly fossil fuel imports, which currently account for 60–70% of electricity generation.
However, some local officials remain cautious. Kashiwazaki assembly member Yukihiko Hoshino said residents are still anxious about the possibility of another nuclear accident and whether evacuation efforts would be feasible. Many former Fukushima residents, he noted, have still not returned home more than a decade later.
The Niigata assembly session runs until December 22. TEPCO hopes to resume operations of the 1,356-megawatt Unit 6 in January, pending a vote. The company is also considering restarting Unit 7 and potentially decommissioning the remaining five units.
Japan has so far restarted 14 of the 33 reactors that remain operable. The restart of Unit 6 alone could boost electricity supply for the Tokyo region by about 2%, according to the industry ministry. Power demand in Japan is projected to rise as data centers and AI-related industries expand.
TEPCO continues to make compensation payments related to the Fukushima disaster.
