Kashiwazaki-Kariwa Nuclear Plant and Fukushima Disaster | 26 Dec 2025

Source: TH 

Nearly 15 years after the Fukushima disaster, Japan plans to restart the Kashiwazaki-Kariwa nuclear plant but the move has triggered protests, with Fukushima survivors warning against renewed nuclear safety risks. 

• To reduce dependence on imported fossil fuels (account for 60–70% of Japan’s electricity generation), Japan plans to double nuclear power’s share to 20% by 2040 to meet rising energy demand from AI data centres and its decarbonisation goals. 
• Kashiwazaki-Kariwa Nuclear Plant: It is the world’s largest nuclear power plant by installed capacity, located near Tokyo. 
  • It is operated by Tokyo Electric Power Company (TEPCO), the same operator responsible for the Fukushima Daiichi plant. 
• Fukushima Nuclear Disaster (2011): The 2011 earthquake and tsunami disabled the cooling systems at the nuclear plant, leading to core meltdowns in three reactors and large-scale radiation release, making it the worst nuclear accident since Chernobyl (1986), resulting in mass evacuations and long-term exclusion zones. 

Note:  As of 2025, India’s nuclear power capacity stands at about 8.18 GW, and the country has set a long-term target of 100 GW by 2047. To accelerate this expansion, the SHANTI Act, 2025 opens nuclear reactor development to private sector participation, marking a major policy shift aimed at mobilising investment, improving efficiency.