Japan Lifts Operational Ban on World's Biggest Nuclear Plant

Facts

• Japan's nuclear watchdog has officially lifted its order banning the transfer of nuclear fuel within Tokyo Electric Power Company's (TEPCO) Kashiwazaki-Kariwa power plant, reaffirming that the company is qualified as a nuclear power plant operator.¹
• On Wednesday, the Nuclear Regulation Authority unanimously decided to revoke the effective operational ban after it approved a draft report submitted by its secretariat that revealed TEPCO had set up a system to improve the plant's anti-terrorism measures.²
• However, TEPCO — which reportedly seeks to bring the world's largest atomic power plant back online so as to cut operating costs — still needs consent from the local governments of Niigata prefecture, Kashiwazaki city, and Kariwa village to resume operations.³
• In January 2021, the seven-reactor complex was found to be vulnerable to unauthorized entry at multiple locations, prompting regulators to order the site to improve its counterterrorism measures.⁴
• This comes after Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida reversed the country's nuclear energy phaseout plan to ensure a stable power supply and allowed the reactivation of 12 of the 54 reactors Tokyo shut down following the 2011 Fukushima nuclear disaster.⁵
• Meanwhile, a Tokyo court on Tuesday ordered TEPCO — also the operator of the tsunami-wrecked Fukushima nuclear power plant — to pay damages worth ¥23.5M ($165K) to dozens of evacuees.⁶

Sources: ¹The Japan Times, ²NHK, ³Reuters, ⁴Nikkei Asia, ⁵Voice of America and ⁶The Times of India.

Narratives

• Pro-establishment narrative, as provided by NPR Online News. Concerns about climate change, national security, and unreliable electrical grids have pushed the world to recognize that nuclear power has long been wrongfully stigmatized in national and international debate. Nuclear power is a zero-carbon, reliable energy source, and is far safer than other alternatives, such as coal and natural gas, in terms of deaths resulting from accidents and pollution.
• Establishment-critical narrative, as provided by The Nation. Though it would be easy to genuinely believe the revival of nuclear energy will solve ongoing crises, including climate breakdown, closer scrutiny shows an opposing reality. As atomic reactors risk being weaponized, nuclear power is less reliable or safe than its advocates claim. The world should be investing in weather-based renewable energy.

Predictions