Takaichi Govt Welcomes Niigata Governor’s Stance on N-Plant

Tokyo, Nov. 21 (Jiji Press)–The government of Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi welcomed Niigata Governor Hideyo Hanazumi’s announcement Friday of his tolerance of the restart of Tokyo Electric Power Company Holdings Inc.’s Kashiwazaki-Kariwa nuclear power plant in the central Japan prefecture. “It’s extremely important from the viewpoints of (stabilizing) power supply, curbing electricity bills and securing decarbonized power sources,” Chief Cabinet Secretary Minoru Kihara told a press conference in the afternoon. The government plans to promote the restart of other reactors that have passed safety screenings. Securing a stable power supply is one of the most important challenges for the Takaichi administration, as electricity demand is expected to spike with a sharp increase in data centers reflecting the spread of artificial intelligence. Reducing electricity bills through nuclear plant restarts would also help combat inflation. “It’s huge,” a senior government official said of Hanazumi’s stance. “It’s a big step forward for the energy policy that the Takaichi administration is targeting.” The coalition agreement between Takaichi’s ruling Liberal Democratic Party and its partner, Nippon Ishin no Kai (Japan Innovation Party), stated that the government will promote the restart of nuclear power plants on the premise of ensuring safety. The prime minister said in her policy address to parliament last month that “the stable and inexpensive supply of energy is absolutely crucial.” Resuming operations at the Kashiwazaki-Kariwa plant has been a key goal for LDP-led governments. Japan shifted to a policy of relying on nuclear power generation under the so-called green transformation policy of former Prime Minister Fumio Kishida. His successor, Shigeru Ishiba, continued this policy and included the maximum utilization of existing nuclear power stations in the government’s basic energy plan drawn up in February this year. Meanwhile, opposition parties are divided on the issue. “It can’t be said that there is solid evacuation plans” for areas around the Kashiwazaki-Kariwa nuclear power plant, Yoshihiko Noda, leader of the main opposition Constitutional Democratic Party of Japan, told a press conference Friday. “Explanations to local communities concerned have been insufficient,” he also said. The CDP’s Niigata prefectural chapter opposes the restart. Taku Yamazoe, policy chief of the opposition Japanese Communist Party, criticized the possible restart as “outrageous,” saying, “It’s unacceptable that TEPCO, which caused a (severe nuclear) accident, would resume operations” at the Kashiwazaki-Kariwa plant. A triple reactor meltdown occurred at TEPCO’s tsunami-stricken Fukushima No. 1 nuclear power plant in northeastern Japan in March 2011. On the other hand, Democratic Party for the People chief Yuichiro Tamaki posted on X, formerly Twitter, that he respects Hanazumi’s stance, saying, “I hope (the possible restart) will contribute to the stable supply of low-cost electricity in eastern Japan.” The opposition party is supported by the Federation of Electric Power Related Industry Worker’s Unions of Japan, a group of labor unions at power utilities. END [Copyright The Jiji Press, Ltd.]