Niigata Gov. Inspects TEPCO’s Kashiwazaki-Kariwa Nuclear Plant

Jiji Press

18:10 JST, November 15, 2025

NIIGATA (Jiji Press) — Niigata Gov. Hideyo Hanazumi inspected Tokyo Electric Power Company Holdings Inc.’s Kashiwazaki-Kariwa nuclear power station on Friday, ahead of taking a decision on whether to approve the restart of a reactor at the plant in Niigata Prefecture.

During his first inspection of the plant in seven years, Hanazumi mainly checked safety measures for the plant’s No. 6 reactor, which TEPCO aims to put back to operation.

Hanazumi is expected to decide by the end of this month whether to greenlight the reactor’s restart, based on the effectiveness of the safety measures and the results of a recent survey on local residents’ attitudes toward the restart.

The No. 6 and No. 7 reactors at the nuclear power plant, which straddles the city of Kashiwazaki and the village of Kariwa, have cleared the Nuclear Regulation Authority screening required for the restart, and technical preparations to put the No. 6 reactor back online were completed at the end of last month.

Accompanied by people including TEPCO President Tomoaki Kobayakawa, the governor observed a drill for setting up power cables in the event of a loss of power at the building for the No. 6 reactor.

“I was able to feel at firsthand that the safety awareness [of TEPCO staff] is high,” Hanazumi told reporters after the visit. He did not make specific comments on whether he would approve the restart.

In making his decision, Hanazumi is seen also taking into account opinions from a Friday meeting with leaders of seven Niigata municipalities within a 30-kilometer radius of the nuclear power plant, including the cities of Nagaoka and Ojiya. Municipalities in areas within 30 kilometers of a nuclear plant are required to draw up evacuation plans for a possible accident.

After the meeting, Nagaoka Mayor Tatsunobu Isoda said, “I said [to the governor] that it might take a little more time for public understanding to grow, and that we should take time for this.”

Ojiya Mayor Etsuo Miyazaki said, “[The governor] listened very earnestly to each municipality chief’s words. He stated that he would take them seriously.”

Junichi Kosuge, mayor of the city of Joetsu, said, “I stated that I would respect the judgment the governor makes after careful consideration.”