A Japanese regional assembly began discussions on Tuesday (Dec 2) about partially restarting the Kashiwazaki-Kariwa Nuclear Power Plant, the world’s largest facility, as Japan aims to strengthen its domestic energy supply. The plant, located about 300 km northeast of Tokyo, has been offline since the 2011 Fukushima disaster. Restarting Unit 6 would mark Tokyo Electric Power Co’s (Tepco) first reactivation since that incident.

Tepco President Tomiaki Kobayakawa said nuclear energy is vital for resource-poor Japan, noting ongoing safety improvements and drills at the site. After Fukushima, all 54 reactors were shut down, pushing the country toward heavy fossil fuel dependence. Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi supports more restarts to boost energy security and reduce the costs of imported fuel.

Some local residents, however, remain worried about evacuation readiness in the event of another accident, with some still unable to return home near Fukushima. The Niigata assembly’s current session runs until Dec 22, and Tepco hopes to restart Unit 6 in January if approved. The company also aims to restart Unit 7 later and may decommission five other units.

Japan has brought 14 of its 33 operable reactors back online since Fukushima. Unit 6 alone could raise energy supply for the Tokyo region by around two percent. Electricity demand in Japan is expected to rise as data centres and AI-related industries expand, while Tepco continues compensating victims of the Fukushima disaster.