Industry Minister Ryosei Akazawa visited the Kashiwazaki Kariwa nuclear plant on Saturday. The facility’s No. 6 reactor resumed commercial operations on April 16. This marked the first reactor restart at the plant in approximately 14 years. Akazawa inspected safety measures and observed an outdoor water discharge drill. He told reporters he could feel a high level of safety awareness among workers.
No industry minister had inspected the facility since the March 2011 Fukushima meltdown. Niigata Governor Hideyo Hanazumi had requested this inspection last December. The governor had previously agreed to the Kashiwazaki restart. He called on the government to continue working on seven safety steps. Akazawa said the central government will take the lead in explaining the need for nuclear energy.
The Kashiwazaki Kariwa restart comes amid Japan’s broader energy strategy shift. Nuclear power provides stable baseload electricity without carbon emissions. However, the Fukushima disaster eroded public trust in nuclear operators. Each reactor restart requires extensive safety reviews and local consent. TEPCO operates the Kashiwazaki Kariwa plant, one of the world’s largest nuclear stations. The No. 6 reactor’s restart marks a careful step toward normalization. Additional reactors may follow if operations proceed without incidents. Industry Minister Akazawa’s visit demonstrates political commitment to nuclear power. The Kashiwazaki Kariwa restart represents a key test case for Japan’s nuclear revival.
