Why is Japan suspending the restart of the world's largest nuclear power plant?

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Japan had just turned on a light that had been off for far too long. Yet, in just one day, that light dimmed again.

The restart of the Kashiwazaki-Kariwa nuclear power plant, the largest in the world in terms of potential capacity, was suspended almost immediately, bringing to the surface fears that have never really been moderated and questions that, years after Fukushima, continue to weigh heavily.

The plant is located in Niigata, facing the Sea of Japan. It had been shut down since 2011, when the Fukushima disaster changed the country's relationship with atomic energy forever. After more than fourteen years, the restart of one of the reactors was presented as a symbolic and strategic step. But once again, reality proved more fragile than intentions.

The restart concerned reactor number six. Everything seemed to be going according to plan that had already slowed down by a previous technical alert that had delayed the start-up by a day. Then, in the middle of the night, at around 00:28, a new alert signal interrupted operations. An alarm went off while work was being carried out on the control rods, the system that regulates the nuclear reaction and which, more than any other, embodies the thin dividing line between operation and shutdown.

The plant is operated by the Tokyo Electric Power Company, the same company that is still bearing the brunt of Fukushima. The technicians attempted immediate checks and also worked on certain electrical components in the control panel. But when it became clear that this was not a malfunction that could be resolved in a few hours, the most prudent decision was taken: to completely reinsert the rods and stop everything.

The official message is reassuring. The reactor is stable, there have been no radioactive emissions and there is no risk to the outside world. Yet the issue is not just technical. It's emotional, political and social. It's this diffuse impression that resurfaces every time Japan's nuclear industry tries to get back on track.

Japan does not have many natural resources. It's dependent on imports, still burns too much coal and gas, and sees nuclear power as an unavoidable shortcut to reducing emissions and achieving climate neutrality by 2050. In a country where the demand for energy is growing as a result of the rise of artificial intelligence and data centres, Kashiwazaki-Kariwa is not just a power station: it's a promise.

But it's a fragile promise. Because this plant is the first operated by Tepco to attempt a restart after 2011, but also because it's located in a seismic zone, hard hit by the 2007 earthquake. These are all details that, on paper, are well known and covered by increasingly strict safety standards. In the public perception, however, these wounds remain open.

This latest setback is neither an accident nor a catastrophe. It's something more subtle, but perhaps more significant. It's a sign of the difficulty, even today, of rebuilding a relationship of trust between technology, the environment and society. Every warning, even when properly managed, rekindles a collective fear which, in Japan, has never really gone away.

(©GreenMe.it//Managing Editor: Semla Keshkire - The Press Junction/Picture: Unsplash)