Biggest nuclear plant restarts

The world’s biggest nuclear power plant was restarted yesterday for the first time since the 2011 Fukushima disaster, its Japanese operator said, despite persistent safety concerns among residents.

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This file photo taken on Aug 5, 2024 shows the Kashiwazaki-Kariwa nuclear power station in Kashiwazaki, in Japan's Niigata prefecture.

(AFP)

The plant was “started at 19.02” (5.02pm Thai time), Tokyo Electric Power Company (Tepco) spokesman Tatsuya Matoba said of the Kashiwazaki-Kariwa plant in Niigata prefecture.

The regional governor approved the resumption last month, although public opinion remains sharply divided.

On Tuesday, a few dozen protesters —mostly elderly — braved freezing temperatures to demonstrate in the snow near the plant's entrance, whose buildings line the Sea of Japan coast.

“It's Tokyo's electricity that is produced in Kashiwazaki, so why should the people here be put at risk? That makes no sense,” Yumiko Abe, a 73-year-old resident, said.

Around 60% of residents oppose the restart, while 37% support it, according to a survey conducted in September.