TEPCO to reboot 1st reactor since Fukushima disaster

TEPCO to reboot 1st reactor since Fukushima disaster

Tokyo Electric Power Company Holdings Inc. President Tomoaki Kobayakawa speaks at a press conference at the company's headquarters in Tokyo on Dec. 24, 2025. TEPCO plans to restart the No. 6 unit at the Kashiwazaki-Kariwa nuclear complex in Niigata Prefecture on Jan. 20, the utility's first reactor reboot since the 2011 disaster at the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear complex.

TEPCO to reboot 1st reactor since Fukushima disaster

TEPCO to reboot 1st reactor since Fukushima disaster

Tokyo Electric Power Company Holdings Inc. President Tomoaki Kobayakawa speaks at a press conference at the company's headquarters in Tokyo on Dec. 24, 2025. TEPCO plans to restart the No. 6 unit at the Kashiwazaki-Kariwa nuclear complex in Niigata Prefecture on Jan. 20, the utility's first reactor reboot since the 2011 disaster at the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear complex.

PM's Erroneous Remarks On Taiwan Spark Rally In Tokyo - Japan

PM's Erroneous Remarks On Taiwan Spark Rally In Tokyo - Japan

Koichi Nakano, a professor of international politics at Sophia University in Tokyo, speaks during a rally in front of the Japanese Prime Minister's Office in Tokyo, Japan, Dec. 23, 2025. Japanese citizens held a rally on Tuesday evening in front of the Prime Minister's Office in Tokyo, demanding that Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi retract her erroneous remarks on Taiwan and criticizing comments by a senior government official advocating nuclear armament. Photo by Jia Haocheng/Xinhua/ABACAPRESS.COM

PM's Erroneous Remarks On Taiwan Spark Rally In Tokyo - Japan

PM's Erroneous Remarks On Taiwan Spark Rally In Tokyo - Japan

People holding signs attend a rally in front of the Japanese Prime Minister's Office in Tokyo, Japan, Dec. 23, 2025. Japanese citizens held a rally on Tuesday evening in front of the Prime Minister's Office in Tokyo, demanding that Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi retract her erroneous remarks on Taiwan and criticizing comments by a senior government official advocating nuclear armament. Photo by Jia Haocheng/Xinhua/ABACAPRESS.COM

PM's Erroneous Remarks On Taiwan Spark Rally In Tokyo - Japan

PM's Erroneous Remarks On Taiwan Spark Rally In Tokyo - Japan

Mizuho Fukushima, leader of Japan's Social Democratic Party, delivers a speech during a rally in front of the Japanese Prime Minister's Office in Tokyo, Japan, Dec. 23, 2025. Japanese citizens held a rally on Tuesday evening in front of the Prime Minister's Office in Tokyo, demanding that Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi retract her erroneous remarks on Taiwan and criticizing comments by a senior government official advocating nuclear armament. Photo by Jia Haocheng/Xinhua/ABACAPRESS.COM

PM's Erroneous Remarks On Taiwan Spark Rally In Tokyo - Japan

PM's Erroneous Remarks On Taiwan Spark Rally In Tokyo - Japan

A person attends a rally in front of the Japanese Prime Minister's Office in Tokyo, Japan, Dec. 23, 2025. Japanese citizens held a rally on Tuesday evening in front of the Prime Minister's Office in Tokyo, demanding that Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi retract her erroneous remarks on Taiwan and criticizing comments by a senior government official advocating nuclear armament. Photo by Jia Haocheng/Xinhua/ABACAPRESS.COM

PM's Erroneous Remarks On Taiwan Spark Rally In Tokyo - Japan

PM's Erroneous Remarks On Taiwan Spark Rally In Tokyo - Japan

A sign is pictured during a rally in front of the Japanese Prime Minister's Office in Tokyo, Japan, Dec. 23, 2025. Japanese citizens held a rally on Tuesday evening in front of the Prime Minister's Office in Tokyo, demanding that Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi retract her erroneous remarks on Taiwan and criticizing comments by a senior government official advocating nuclear armament. Photo by Jia Haocheng/Xinhua/ABACAPRESS.COM

PM's Erroneous Remarks On Taiwan Spark Rally In Tokyo - Japan

PM's Erroneous Remarks On Taiwan Spark Rally In Tokyo - Japan

People holding signs attend a rally in front of the Japanese Prime Minister's Office in Tokyo, Japan, Dec. 23, 2025. Japanese citizens held a rally on Tuesday evening in front of the Prime Minister's Office in Tokyo, demanding that Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi retract her erroneous remarks on Taiwan and criticizing comments by a senior government official advocating nuclear armament. Photo by Jia Haocheng/Xinhua/ABACAPRESS.COM

PM's Erroneous Remarks On Taiwan Spark Rally In Tokyo - Japan

PM's Erroneous Remarks On Taiwan Spark Rally In Tokyo - Japan

People attend a rally in front of the Japanese Prime Minister's Office in Tokyo, Japan, Dec. 23, 2025. Japanese citizens held a rally on Tuesday evening in front of the Prime Minister's Office in Tokyo, demanding that Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi retract her erroneous remarks on Taiwan and criticizing comments by a senior government official advocating nuclear armament. Photo by Jia Haocheng/Xinhua/ABACAPRESS.COM

PM's Erroneous Remarks On Taiwan Spark Rally In Tokyo - Japan

PM's Erroneous Remarks On Taiwan Spark Rally In Tokyo - Japan

A sign is pictured during a rally in front of the Japanese Prime Minister's Office in Tokyo, Japan, Dec. 23, 2025. Japanese citizens held a rally on Tuesday evening in front of the Prime Minister's Office in Tokyo, demanding that Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi retract her erroneous remarks on Taiwan and criticizing comments by a senior government official advocating nuclear armament. Photo by Jia Haocheng/Xinhua/ABACAPRESS.COM

Kashiwazaki-Kariwa nuclear power plant

Kashiwazaki-Kariwa nuclear power plant

Photo taken on Nov. 7, 2025, shows reactors at the Kashiwazaki-Kariwa nuclear power plant in Niigata Prefecture, Japan.

CNNC Building

CNNC Building

BEIJING, CHINA - DECEMBER 6, 2025 - China National Nuclear Corporation Building in Beijing, China on December 6, 2025.

CNNC Building

CNNC Building

BEIJING, CHINA - DECEMBER 6, 2025 - China National Nuclear Corporation Building in Beijing, China on December 6, 2025.

CNNC Building

CNNC Building

BEIJING, CHINA - DECEMBER 6, 2025 - China National Nuclear Corporation Building in Beijing, China on December 6, 2025.

CNNC Building

CNNC Building

BEIJING, CHINA - DECEMBER 6, 2025 - China National Nuclear Corporation Building in Beijing, China on December 6, 2025.

CNNC Building

CNNC Building

BEIJING, CHINA - DECEMBER 6, 2025 - China National Nuclear Corporation Building in Beijing, China on December 6, 2025.

CNNC Building

CNNC Building

BEIJING, CHINA - DECEMBER 6, 2025 - China National Nuclear Corporation Building in Beijing, China on December 6, 2025.

CNNC Building

CNNC Building

BEIJING, CHINA - DECEMBER 6, 2025 - China National Nuclear Corporation Building in Beijing, China on December 6, 2025.

Japan police chief in Fukushima

Japan police chief in Fukushima

Japan's National Police Agency chief Yoshinobu Kusunoki meets the press at the disaster-stricken Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant, straddling Futaba and Okuma in Fukushima Prefecture, northeastern Japan, on Dec. 3, 2025. (Pool photo)

Disaster-hit Fukushima nuclear plant

Disaster-hit Fukushima nuclear plant

Photo taken on Dec. 2, 2025, in Okuma, Fukushima Prefecture, northeastern Japan, shows the No. 3 reactor building at the disaster-stricken Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant where decommissioning work is taking place. (Pool photo)

Disaster-hit Fukushima nuclear plant

Disaster-hit Fukushima nuclear plant

Photo taken on Dec. 2, 2025, in Okuma, Fukushima Prefecture, northeastern Japan, shows the No. 2 (L) and No. 3 (C) reactor buildings at the disaster-stricken Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant where decommissioning work is taking place. (Pool photo)

Disaster-hit Fukushima nuclear plant

Disaster-hit Fukushima nuclear plant

Photo taken on Dec. 2, 2025, in Okuma, Fukushima Prefecture, northeastern Japan, shows the No. 1 reactor building at the disaster-stricken Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant where decommissioning work is taking place. (Pool photo)

Japan PM visits crippled Fukushima plant

Japan PM visits crippled Fukushima plant

Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi (3rd from R) inspects deserted farmland in an off-limits area in Futaba near the crippled Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant in Fukushima Prefecture, northeastern Japan, on Dec. 2, 2025. (Pool photo)

Japan PM visits crippled Fukushima plant

Japan PM visits crippled Fukushima plant

Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi (front, R) inspects deserted farmland in an off-limits area in Futaba near the crippled Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant in Fukushima Prefecture, northeastern Japan, on Dec. 2, 2025. (Pool photo)

Japan PM visits crippled Fukushima plant

Japan PM visits crippled Fukushima plant

Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi (front, R) inspects deserted farmland in an off-limits area in Futaba near the crippled Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant in Fukushima Prefecture, northeastern Japan, on Dec. 2, 2025. (Pool photo)

Japan PM visits crippled Fukushima plant

Japan PM visits crippled Fukushima plant

Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi (far R) addresses employees of the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant straddling the towns of Okuma and Futaba in Fukushima Prefecture, northeastern Japan, on Dec. 2, 2025, during her first visit to the crippled plant since taking office in October. (Pool photo)

Japan PM visits crippled Fukushima plant

Japan PM visits crippled Fukushima plant

Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi (far R) addresses employees of the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant straddling the towns of Okuma and Futaba in Fukushima Prefecture, northeastern Japan, on Dec. 2, 2025, during her first visit to the crippled plant since taking office in October. (Pool photo)

Japan PM visits crippled Fukushima plant

Japan PM visits crippled Fukushima plant

Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi addresses employees of the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant straddling the towns of Okuma and Futaba in Fukushima Prefecture, northeastern Japan, on Dec. 2, 2025, during her first visit to the crippled plant since taking office in October. (Pool photo)

Japan PM visits crippled Fukushima plant

Japan PM visits crippled Fukushima plant

Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi addresses employees of the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant straddling the towns of Okuma and Futaba in Fukushima Prefecture, northeastern Japan, on Dec. 2, 2025, during her first visit to the crippled plant since taking office in October. (Pool photo)

Japan PM visits crippled Fukushima plant

Japan PM visits crippled Fukushima plant

Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi (back, R) addresses employees of the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant straddling the towns of Okuma and Futaba in Fukushima Prefecture, northeastern Japan, on Dec. 2, 2025, during her first visit to the crippled plant since taking office in October. (Pool photo)

Japan PM visits crippled Fukushima plant

Japan PM visits crippled Fukushima plant

Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi (back, R) meets the press after inspecting the crippled Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant straddling the towns of Okuma and Futaba in Fukushima Prefecture, northeastern Japan, on Dec. 2, 2025, during her first visit to the plant since taking office in October. (Pool photo)

Japan PM visits crippled Fukushima plant

Japan PM visits crippled Fukushima plant

Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi meets the press after inspecting the crippled Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant straddling the towns of Okuma and Futaba in Fukushima Prefecture, northeastern Japan, on Dec. 2, 2025, during her first visit to the plant since taking office in October. (Pool photo)

Japan PM visits crippled Fukushima plant

Japan PM visits crippled Fukushima plant

Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi meets the press after inspecting the crippled Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant straddling the towns of Okuma and Futaba in Fukushima Prefecture, northeastern Japan, on Dec. 2, 2025, during her first visit to the plant since taking office in October. (Pool photo)

Japan PM visits crippled Fukushima plant

Japan PM visits crippled Fukushima plant

Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi (C) meets the press after inspecting the crippled Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant straddling the towns of Okuma and Futaba in Fukushima Prefecture, northeastern Japan, on Dec. 2, 2025, during her first visit to the plant since taking office in October. (Pool photo)

Japan PM visits crippled Fukushima plant

Japan PM visits crippled Fukushima plant

Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi (C) visits the crippled Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant straddling Okuma and Futaba towns in the northeastern Japan prefecture of Fukushima on Dec. 2, 2025, for the first time since taking office in October. (Pool photo)

Japan PM visits crippled Fukushima plant

Japan PM visits crippled Fukushima plant

Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi (2nd from L) visits the crippled Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant straddling Okuma and Futaba towns in the northeastern Japan prefecture of Fukushima on Dec. 2, 2025, for the first time since taking office in October. (Pool photo)

Japan PM visits crippled Fukushima plant

Japan PM visits crippled Fukushima plant

Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi (front, R) visits a still off-limits area in Futaba in Fukushima Prefecture, northeastern Japan, near the crippled Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant on Dec. 2, 2025. (Pool photo)

Japan PM visits crippled Fukushima plant

Japan PM visits crippled Fukushima plant

Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi (2nd from L) visits the crippled Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant straddling Okuma and Futaba towns in the northeastern Japan prefecture of Fukushima on Dec. 2, 2025, for the first time since taking office in October. (Pool photo)

Japan PM visits crippled Fukushima plant

Japan PM visits crippled Fukushima plant

Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi (2nd from L) visits the crippled Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant straddling Okuma and Futaba towns in the northeastern Japan prefecture of Fukushima on Dec. 2, 2025, for the first time since taking office in October. (Pool photo)

Japan PM visits crippled Fukushima plant

Japan PM visits crippled Fukushima plant

Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi (front) visits the crippled Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant straddling Okuma and Futaba towns in the northeastern Japan prefecture of Fukushima on Dec. 2, 2025, for the first time since taking office in October. (Pool photo)

Japan PM visits crippled Fukushima plant

Japan PM visits crippled Fukushima plant

Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi (R) on Dec. 2, 2025, visits an interim storage facility in Okuma in Fukushima Prefecture, northeastern Japan, for soil extracted during decontamination work near the crippled Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant, ahead of her first visit to the plant since taking office in October. (Pool photo)

Japan PM visits crippled Fukushima plant

Japan PM visits crippled Fukushima plant

Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi (R) on Dec. 2, 2025, visits an interim storage facility in Okuma in Fukushima Prefecture, northeastern Japan, for soil extracted during decontamination work near the crippled Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant, ahead of her first visit to the plant since taking office in October. (Pool photo)

Niigata gov. OKs TEPCO's 1st nuclear reactor restart since Fukushima

NIIGATA, Japan, Nov. 21 Kyodo - Niigata Gov. Hideyo Hanazumi holds an unscheduled press conference in Niigata, northwest of Tokyo, on Nov. 21, 2025, saying he will approve the restart of the No. 6 reactor at the Kashiwazaki-Kariwa nuclear power plant in the prefecture, the first for its operator Tokyo Electric Power Company Holdings Inc. since the 2011 Fukushima nuclear crisis. (Kyodo)

Niigata gov. OKs TEPCO's 1st nuclear reactor restart since Fukushima

Niigata gov. OKs TEPCO's 1st nuclear reactor restart since Fukushima

Members of a citizens group rally in front of the Niigata prefectural government office in Niigata, northwest of Tokyo, on Nov. 21, 2025, in protest over Niigata Gov. Hideyo Hanazumi's decision the same day to approve the restart of the No. 6 reactor at the Kashiwazaki-Kariwa nuclear power plant in the prefecture, the first for its operator Tokyo Electric Power Company Holdings Inc. since the 2011 Fukushima nuclear crisis.

Niigata gov. OKs TEPCO's 1st nuclear reactor restart since Fukushima

Niigata gov. OKs TEPCO's 1st nuclear reactor restart since Fukushima

Members of a citizens group rally in front of the Niigata prefectural government office in Niigata, northwest of Tokyo, on Nov. 21, 2025, in protest over Niigata Gov. Hideyo Hanazumi's decision the same day to approve the restart of the No. 6 reactor at the Kashiwazaki-Kariwa nuclear power plant in the prefecture, the first for its operator Tokyo Electric Power Company Holdings Inc. since the 2011 Fukushima nuclear crisis.

Niigata gov. OKs TEPCO's 1st nuclear reactor restart since Fukushima

Niigata gov. OKs TEPCO's 1st nuclear reactor restart since Fukushima

Members of a citizens group rally in front of the Niigata prefectural government office in Niigata, northwest of Tokyo, on Nov. 21, 2025, in protest over Niigata Gov. Hideyo Hanazumi's decision the same day to approve the restart of the No. 6 reactor at the Kashiwazaki-Kariwa nuclear power plant in the prefecture, the first for its operator Tokyo Electric Power Company Holdings Inc. since the 2011 Fukushima nuclear crisis.

Niigata gov. OKs TEPCO's 1st nuclear reactor restart since Fukushima

Niigata gov. OKs TEPCO's 1st nuclear reactor restart since Fukushima

Niigata Gov. Hideyo Hanazumi holds an unscheduled press conference in Niigata, northwest of Tokyo, on Nov. 21, 2025, saying he will approve the restart of the No. 6 reactor at the Kashiwazaki-Kariwa nuclear power plant in the prefecture, the first for its operator Tokyo Electric Power Company Holdings Inc. since the 2011 Fukushima nuclear crisis.

Niigata gov. OKs TEPCO's 1st nuclear reactor restart since Fukushima

Niigata gov. OKs TEPCO's 1st nuclear reactor restart since Fukushima

Niigata Gov. Hideyo Hanazumi holds an unscheduled press conference in Niigata, northwest of Tokyo, on Nov. 21, 2025, saying he will approve the restart of the No. 6 reactor at the Kashiwazaki-Kariwa nuclear power plant in the prefecture, the first for its operator Tokyo Electric Power Company Holdings Inc. since the 2011 Fukushima nuclear crisis.

Niigata gov. OKs TEPCO's 1st nuclear reactor restart since Fukushima

Niigata gov. OKs TEPCO's 1st nuclear reactor restart since Fukushima

Niigata Gov. Hideyo Hanazumi holds an unscheduled press conference in Niigata, northwest of Tokyo, on Nov. 21, 2025, saying he will approve the restart of the No. 6 reactor at the Kashiwazaki-Kariwa nuclear power plant in the prefecture, the first for its operator Tokyo Electric Power Company Holdings Inc. since the 2011 Fukushima nuclear crisis.

Niigata gov. OKs TEPCO's 1st nuclear reactor restart since Fukushima

Niigata gov. OKs TEPCO's 1st nuclear reactor restart since Fukushima

Niigata Gov. Hideyo Hanazumi holds an unscheduled press conference in Niigata, northwest of Tokyo, on Nov. 21, 2025, saying he will approve the restart of the No. 6 reactor at the Kashiwazaki-Kariwa nuclear power plant in the prefecture, the first for its operator Tokyo Electric Power Company Holdings Inc. since the 2011 Fukushima nuclear crisis.