Japan is set to take the final step to restart the world’s largest nuclear ​power plant on Monday (December 22, 2025) when the region of Niigata votes on the resumption of operations, in a ‌watershed moment for the country’s pivot back to nuclear energy nearly 15 years after the Fukushima disaster.

Kashiwazaki-Kariwa, located about ​220 km (136 miles) northwest of Tokyo, was among 54 reactors shut after the 2011 earthquake and tsunami crippled the Fukushima Daiichi plant in the worst nuclear disaster since Chernobyl. Since then, Japan has restarted 14 of the 33 that remain operable, as it tries to wean itself off imported fossil fuels. Kashiwazaki-Kariwa will be the first operated by Tokyo Electric Power Co (TEPCO), which ran the doomed Fukushima plant.

Around 300 protesters, mostly older people, holding banners reading ‘No Nukes’, ‘We oppose the restart of Kashiwazaki-Kariwa’ and ‘Support Fukushima’ gathered in front of the Niigata prefecture assembly on a chilly, grey Monday (December 22, 2025), as local lawmakers prepared to make their decision later in the day.

As the rally started, in temperatures ​of 6°C ahead of the vote, people were singing ‘Furusato’: a national song about connection to ⁠a birthplace, meaning ‘homeland’ in Japanese.

“Is TEPCO qualified to run Kashiwazaki-Kariwa?”, a protester asked into the microphone, with the crowd yelling: “No!”

If approved, TEPCO is considering reactivating the first of seven reactors at the plant on January 20, public broadcaster NHK reported.

“We remain firmly committed to never repeating such an accident and ensuring Niigata residents never experience anything similar,” ​said TEPCO spokesperson Masakatsu Takata. Mr. Takata declined to comment ⁠on timing.

Reculant residents wary of restart

TEPCO earlier this year pledged to inject 100 billion yen ($641 million) into the prefecture over the next 10 years as it sought to win the support of Niigata residents.

But many locals remain wary.

A survey published by the prefecture in October found 60% of residents did not think conditions for the restart had been met. Nearly 70% were worried ‌about TEPCO operating the plant. Ayako Oga, 52, settled in Niigata after fleeing the area around the Fukushima plant in 2011 ‌with 160,000 other evacuees. Her old home was inside the 20 km irradiated exclusion zone. The farmer and anti-nuclear activist has now joined protests against what she sees as a new threat on her doorstep.

“We know ‍firsthand the risk of a nuclear accident and cannot dismiss it,” said Ms. Oga, adding that she still struggles with post-traumatic stress-like symptoms from what happened at Fukushima. Even Niigata Governor Hideyo Hanazumi, who backed the restart last month, hopes that Japan will eventually be able to reduce its reliance ‍on nuclear power. “I want to see an era where we don’t have to rely on energy sources that cause anxiety,” he said.

Strengthening energy security

On Monday (December 22, 2025), the prefecture’s assembly will cast a vote of confidence on Hanazumi, a de facto ballot on his support for the restart. The vote is seen as the final hurdle before TEPCO restarts the first reactor, which alone could boost electricity supply to the Tokyo area by 2%, Japan’s Trade Ministry estimated. Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi, who took office two months ago, has backed nuclear restarts to strengthen energy security and to counter the cost of imported fossil fuels, which account for 60% to 70% of Japan’s electricity generation.

Japan spent 10.7 trillion yen ($68 billion) last year on imported liquefied natural gas and coal, a tenth of its total import costs.

Despite its shrinking population, Japan expects energy demand to rise ⁠over the coming decade due to a boom in power-hungry AI data centres. To meet those needs and its decarbonisation commitments, it has set a target of doubling the share of nuclear power in its electricity mix to ​20% by 2040.

Joshua Ngu, vice chairman for Asia Pacific at consultancy Wood Mackenzie, said public acceptance of the restart of Kashiwazaki-Kariwa would represent “a critical ⁠milestone” towards reaching those goals.

In July, Kansai Electric Power, Japan’s top nuclear power operator, said it would begin conducting surveys for a reactor in western Japan, the first new unit since the Fukushima disaster. But for Ms. Oga, who also joined Monday’s (December 22, 2025) protests outside the Assembly chanting ‘Never forget Fukushima’s lessons!’ together with others, the nuclear revival is a terrifying reminder of the potential risks. “As a victim of the Fukushima nuclear accident, I wish that no one, whether in Japan or anywhere in the world, ever again suffers the ⁠damage of a nuclear accident,” she said.

Published – December 22, 2025 10:29 am IST

In this photo provided by Cabinet Public Affairs Office, Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida eats the seafood from Fukushima prefecture at lunch at the prime minister’s office in Tokyo, Japan, Wednesday, Aug. 30, 2023.
| Photo Credit: AP

Japan’s prime minister ate what he called “safe and delicious” fish from Fukushima on Wednesday, days after wastewater was released from the area’s crippled nuclear plant into the Pacific.

A video clip showing Fumio Kishida eating Fukushima fish, published on social media by his office, comes after China banned all seafood imports from its neighbour following the discharge that began on August 24.

“This is very good,” Mr. Kishida said as he chewed on a slice of flounder sashimi, calling on viewers to enjoy “safe and delicious” Japanese seafood to support the northeastern region.

The clip, overlaid by cheery music, showed the conservative leader joined by three other ministers at his office for sashimi, boiled pork, fruits, rice and vegetables from the Fukushima region.

It was designed to promote products from the area 12 years after Fukushima was devastated by a huge earthquake and tsunami that triggered one of the world’s worst nuclear disasters.

Even before the wastewater release, many in Japan’s fishing industry were worried about what it would do to the reputation of the country’s seafood domestically and abroad.

The discharge, equivalent to more than 500 Olympic swimming pools, is expected to take decades and will allow engineers to start removing highly dangerous radioactive fuel from three wrecked reactors.

Bricks and eggs have been thrown at Japanese schools and consulates in China and Tokyo has advised its nationals there to keep a low profile. Businesses in Japan have also been swamped with nuisance calls from Chinese numbers.

Mr. Kishida was expected to visit Tokyo’s main Toyosu fish market on Thursday to sample more Fukushima fish.

Japan has demanded that China – its biggest market for fish – drop its ban on seafood imports while warning it will complain to the World Trade Organization (WTO).

Mr. Kishida’s government is also reportedly planning a package of financial aid for the fishing industry while also helping it find new export markets.

Rafael Grossi, the head of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), reiterated on Wednesday that the water being released was safe according to the UN watchdog.

In a show of support for Japan, the U.S. ambassador to Japan, Rahm Emanuel, was due to visit the Fukushima area on Thursday and eat locally caught seafood.