Hokkaido Gov. Announces Approval for Tomari Reactor Restart

Jiji Press

16:04 JST, December 10, 2025

Sapporo, Dec. 10 (Jiji Press)—Hokkaido Governor Naomichi Suzuki on Wednesday announced his approval for the restart of the No. 3 reactor at Hokkaido Electric Power Co.’s Tomari nuclear power plant in the northernmost Japan prefecture.

Suzuki made the announcement at a meeting of the Hokkaido prefectural assembly. The four municipalities surrounding the nuclear plant have already expressed their approval.

Hokkaido Electric aims to restart the reactor as soon as possible in 2027.

Late last month, the governor told a prefectural assembly meeting that restarting the reactor is a “realistic choice to be taken for the time being,” considering its potential effect of lowering electricity rates, as well as a future rise in electricity demand.