TEPCO Restarts Kashiwazaki Reactor Amid Protests

Tokyo Electric Power (TEPCO) restarted one reactor at the Kashiwazaki-Kariwa nuclear plant on Wednesday, January 21, 2026, the first TEPCO-run restart since the 2011 Fukushima disaster. The decision follows Niigata governor approval despite about 60% local opposition, protests and safety concerns including seismic risk and a recent alarm failure; the government seeks to raise nuclear to roughly 20% by 2040.