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The restart of the world's largest atomic powerfulness works was suspended successful Japan Thursday (January 22, 2026) conscionable hours aft the process began, its relation said, but the reactor remained "stable".
Operations to relaunch a reactor astatine the Kashiwazaki-Kariwa plant successful Niigata province, closed since the 2011 Fukushima disaster, began precocious Wednesday (January 21, 2026) aft it received the last greenish airy from the atomic regulator contempt divided nationalist opinion.
"An alarm from the monitoring system... sounded during the reactor startup procedures, and operations are presently suspended," Takashi Kobayashi, a spokesperson for relation Tokyo Electric (TEPCO), told AFP.
The reactor "is unchangeable and determination is nary radioactive interaction outside", helium said, adding that the relation is "currently investigating the cause" of the incidental and is incapable to accidental erstwhile operations volition resume.
The restart, initially scheduled for Tuesday (January 20, 2026), had been pushed backmost aft a method contented related to a reactor alarm was detected past play -- a occupation that was resolved connected Sunday (January 18, 2026), according to TEPCO.
Kashiwazaki-Kariwa is the world's biggest atomic powerfulness works by imaginable capacity, though conscionable 1 reactor of 7 was restarted.
The installation was taken offline erstwhile Japan pulled the plug connected atomic powerfulness aft a colossal earthquake and tsunami sent 3 reactors astatine the Fukushima atomic works into meltdown successful 2011.
However, resource-poor Japan present wants to revive atomic vigor to trim its reliance connected fossil fuels, execute c neutrality by 2050 and conscionable increasing vigor needs from artificial intelligence.
Kashiwazaki-Kariwa is the archetypal TEPCO-run portion to restart since 2011. The institution besides operates the stricken Fukushima Daiichi plant, present being decommissioned.
Public sentiment successful Niigata is profoundly divided: Around 60% of residents reason the restart, portion 37% enactment it, according to a survey conducted successful September.
"It's Tokyo's energy that is produced successful Kashiwazaki, truthful wherefore should the radical present beryllium enactment astatine risk? That makes nary sense," Yumiko Abe, a 73-year-old resident, told AFP this week during a protestation successful beforehand of the plant.
Earlier this month, 7 groups opposing the restart submitted a petition signed by astir 40,000 radical to TEPCO and Japan's Nuclear Regulation Authority, saying that the works sits connected an progressive seismic responsibility portion and noted it was struck by a beardown quake successful 2007.
