A petition signed by 40,000 relays concerns the risk of seismic activity in the vicinity of the Kashiwazaki-Kariwa plant.
Published on January 21, 2026
Japan is preparing to restart the world’s largest nuclear power plant a decade and a half after the Fukushima disaster shut down reactors nationwide.
Tokyo Electric Power Co. (TEPCO) said on Wednesday it was “moving forward with preparations” and aimed to resume operations. Kashiwazaki-Kariwa plant 7pm (10:00 GMT) in Niigata Prefecture. However, security concerns remain.
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The nation’s confidence in its nuclear power infrastructure was destroyed in 2011 Triple meltdown at FukushimaIt was run by TEPCO after the massive earthquake and tsunami.
Only one of the seven reactors at Kashiwazaki-Kariwa will restart on Wednesday. When fully operational, the plant will generate 8.2 gigawatts of electricity, enough to power millions of homes.
The plant is spread over 4.2sq km (1.6sq miles) of land in Niigata on the coast of the Sea of Japan.
Japan, which has faced setbacks in its offshore wind rollout, is refocusing its attention on nuclear power to strengthen energy security and reduce dependence on imported fossil fuels.
Kashiwazaki-Kariwa is the 15th plant out of 33 that remains operational. Japan shut down all 54 of its nuclear reactors in the wake of the 2011 disaster.
Also re-introduction of vegetation where it is possible to revive, Prime Minister Sane Takai Pushing to build new nuclear reactors.
The government recently announced a new state funding scheme to accelerate the nuclear power comeback.
‘Anxious and fearful’
The restart of the Kashiwazaki-Kariwa plant, fitted with a 15-meter-high (50-foot) tsunami wall and other safety improvements, was delayed by a day as TEPCO investigated an alarm malfunction that it said has since been addressed.
Earlier this month, groups opposing the restart presented a petition to TEPCO and Japan’s Nuclear Regulation Authority, signed by nearly 40,000 people.
The document states that the plant sits on an active seismic fault zone and was rocked by a severe earthquake in 2007.
“We cannot eliminate the fear of another unexpected earthquake,” the text of the petition reads. “To make so many people anxious and afraid to send electricity to Tokyo … is intolerable.”
TEPCO President Tomoaki Kobayakawa told the Asahi daily that safety is an ongoing process, meaning operators involved in nuclear power should never be arrogant or overconfident.
The revival of the Kashiwazaki-Kariwa plant Japan’s nuclear industry has been plagued by recent scandals and incidents, including data falsification by Chubu Electric Power to underestimate earthquake risks.