As Memories of Fukushima Fade, Japan Seeks Bigger Role for Nuclear Power

Source : The Wall Street Journal: As Memories of Fukushima Fade, Japan Seeks Bigger Role for Nuclear Power https://www.wsj.com/world/asia/as-memories-of-fukushima-fade-japan-seeks-bigger-role-for-nuclear-power-2a9a9236

by Jason Douglas & Junko Fukutome • 28 December 2025

TOKYO—On a sandy coastline 180 miles from Tokyo, a giant nuclear reactor will soon come back to life after more than a decade offline.

The reboot of reactor No. 6 at Kashiwazaki-Kariwa on the Sea of Japan coast will mark a milestone for a nation that in 2011 suffered one of the world’s worst nuclear disasters, when an earthquake and tsunami triggered a meltdown at the Fukushima-Daiichi atomic power station.

The reactor is of a similar design to those that failed at Fukushima and its size will make it the largest reactor brought back into operation since all 54 were shut down in the wake of the disaster.

The restart follows years of safety inspections, new construction to shield the reactor from natural disasters and a yearslong effort to reassure people living nearby that they won’t be put at risk when the reactor starts up again. A 15-meter concrete wall has been erected to stop the reactor from being flooded by a tsunami.

The Japanese government says it wants to more than double the share of Japan’s electricity generated from nuclear power to 20% by 2040, from around 9% currently. Like other countries, Japan is eager to wean itself off fossil fuels while also meeting the energy needs of power-hungry data centers and semiconductor foundries that fuel the artificial-intelligence revolution, without pushing up everyone else’s bills.

Still, a full-on nuclear renaissance seems distant. More than a decade after Fukushima, only 14 reactors are up and running and 19 are still mothballed. More than 20 were shut down for good. Public anxiety about atomic power remains substantial in a country prone to earthquakes.

The government’s 20% goal, if it is ever met, would leave nuclear’s share of Japan’s power mix below the 30% it was before the Fukushima meltdown. Officials have instead penciled in a far bigger role for renewables such as solar and wind in their power ambitions, which they want to provide 40% to 50% of Japan’s electricity.

“Everybody says they want nuclear power, but they are not using their political capital for restarting,” said Nobuo Tanaka, a former executive director of the International Energy Agency and Japanese government official. Tanaka says meeting the government’s 20% target will require more and faster restarts of idled plants.

The government says the 20% goal isn’t a mandatory target and it expects to make progress in building new, more advanced reactors.

Japan’s caution follows a global trend. Although many governments, including the Trump administration, say they want more nuclear power, concrete progress toward building out the world’s aging fleet of reactors is limited, with renewables taking a far larger share of new investment.

That is a reflection, say experts, of nuclear’s high costs, public skepticism and missed promises on new technologies such as small, factory-made reactors that can be hooked up to the grid quickly.

In the U.S., the number of new nuclear reactors under construction is zero, according to the International Atomic Energy Agency. Of the 62 under construction worldwide, China is building 28, according to the IAEA.

Yet even that effort pales against China’s push on renewable energy. If completed, those 28 nuclear reactors will produce around 30 gigawatts of electricity. China added 357 gigawatts of solar and wind capacity in 2024 alone, according to the country’s National Energy Administration.

“Does that sound like a nuclear renaissance to you?” said Mycle Schneider, who publishes the World Nuclear Industry Status Report, an annual look at nuclear energy activity worldwide. He said the number of working reactors, their share of the world’s energy mix, and other indicators of nuclear industry activity peaked years ago.

When back up and running, Kashiwazaki-Kariwa No. 6 will produce some 1.4 gigawatts of electricity, enough to power around 450,000 homes. Operator Tokyo Electric Power Co. said it plans to restart the reactor on Jan. 20.

The reboot comes after more than a decade of work to bring the reactor into line with tougher regulations for nuclear power plants.

In addition to the giant tsunami wall, the facility is now equipped with new backup power systems, reinforced walls, pipes and trusses to boost resilience in an earthquake. It also has a reservoir that holds enough water to cool the reactor for seven days without interruption. Stray hydrogen is converted into water to minimize the risk of explosions, and filters remove radioactive particles from the gases vented into the air.

Niigata prefecture is a coastal idyll of steep mountains and lush rice paddies. The region’s governor gave the go-ahead for the restart in November, after lengthy consultations with businesses and residents. That was eight years after Tepco initially received regulatory approval to restart the reactor, though it was hit with an operating ban in 2021 after regulators found a number of security flaws. That ban was lifted in 2023.

Opinion polls conducted in the area before the governor’s decision suggest residents are divided. A survey commissioned by the prefecture showed 50% were open to a restart but 47% were opposed no matter what measures were taken to boost safety. Sixty percent overall thought it was too soon to restart the reactor.

Hiroshi Sasaki, a professor at Niigata University who lives in the prefecture and opposes restarting the reactor, said residents don’t have enough information about evacuation plans and other safety measures for it to proceed.

“If people truly understood the situation as affected parties, they would realize things are far worse,” he said.

Also an irritant for some locals: Most of the power will go to Tokyo.

“Having electricity sent from Kashiwazaki-Kariwa is extremely important for the resilience of the capital,” said Hidekazu Oshita, executive director at the Tokyo Chamber of Commerce and Industry.

“Although it is difficult, we want the government to implement policies that truly accelerate the speed of these restarts,” he said, adding that nuclear power is essential to ensure a reliable electricity supply and keep a lid on energy prices for businesses.

At Fukushima in 2011, three reactors melted down after the plant’s cooling systems malfunctioned due to an earthquake and tsunami. Thousands of people were evacuated and many still haven’t returned to their old homes.

In the years since, Japan has ramped up imports of natural gas and other fossil fuels to meet its energy needs. The burning of coal and natural gas generated more than 60% of Japan’s electricity last year, according to the IEA.

Japan, which has little in the way of natural resources, has long been anxious about its dependence on energy imports, concerns amplified by events such as Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

In a revamped energy strategy published in February, Japan’s government said nuclear power offers big advantages over imported fossil fuels, such as stability of supply and low carbon emissions. New Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi is a longtime supporter of nuclear power.

Toyoshi Fuketa, who was president of Japan’s Nuclear Regulatory Authority from 2017 to 2022, said regardless of the role nuclear plays in Japan’s energy mix, regulators need to stay vigilant as memories of Fukushima fade.

“People really do forget the heat once it passes, you know?” he said.

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