The world’s largest nuclear power plant, Kashiwazaki-Kariwa, restarted this week for the first time since March 2012.
Operators shut it down hours later following a malfunction.
All of Japan’s nuclear power plants were closed after a 2011 earthquake and tsunami triggered the Fukushima nuclear accident, with some re-opening from 2015.
Some local residents have criticised the plant’s reopening.
Fukushima
In March 2011, a 9.0 magnitude earthquake hit Japan, triggering a tsunami on the east coast.
The natural disasters killed around 20,000 people and saw the evacuation of almost 500,000 people from their homes.
It also triggered a major nuclear accident at the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Station.
The seismic events damaged multiple reactor cores at the plant, causing them to release hydrogen and radioactive material.
This resulted in radioactive contamination to nearby land and water.
Around 110,000 people living near Fukushima were evacuated from the area because of the disaster. In 2023, it was estimated that more than 27,000 of these people remain displaced.
In aftermath of the disaster, all nuclear reactors in Japan were shut down over several months.
Restart
Japan has gradually restarted several nuclear plants since 2015.
This week, Kashiwazaki-Kariwa on Japan’s west coast was the 15th to reopen.
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It is operated by Tokyo Electric Power Company (TEPCO), the same company behind the Fukushima plant.
Kashiwazaki-Kariwa is the first TEPCO has reopened since the shutdown.
The plant has a total output capacity of eight gigawatts, enough to provide millions of homes with power.
Only one of its reactors was reopened this week, with an output capacity of 1.36 gigawatts.
Announcing the reopening, TEPCO said: “We remain fully committed to demonstrating... we are prioritising safety”.
Criticism
Some residents near the plant have protested against its reopening.
In December, Reuters reported that around 300 protesters stood outside local government discussions about the plant, holding signs reading “No Nukes” and “We oppose the restart of Kashiwazaki-Kariwa”.
A local government survey found 61% of people living near the plant do not believe it met the conditions to be restarted, The Japan Times reported.
Suspension
Early Thursday morning (local time), soon after re-starting, the plant’s operations were suspended, multiple media outlets have reported.
A power supply system failure alarm was triggered at 12.28am, around five hours after the plant restarted.
The Associated Press reported that power station chief Takeyuki Inagaki said TEPCO will examine the safety of its equipment.
The relaunch had already been delayed by a day due to an issue with a safety alarm.
