JAPAN will restart the world’s largest nuclear power station, nearly 15 years after the Fukushima meltdown.
The decision was made despite fierce opposition from locals, many of whom saw the 2011 nuclear disaster first-hand.
The Kashiwazaki-Kariwa plant, about 136 miles northwest of Tokyo, is set to reopen around January 20 next year.
Japan closed all 54 of its nuclear power plants after a huge 9.0-magnitude earthquake and tsunami caused a nuclear meltdown at the Fukushima Daiichi plant in 2011.
A total of 14 of the 33 the country’s remaining nuclear reactors have since been restarted, according to the World Nuclear Association.
Kashiwazaki-Kariwa, the world’s biggest nuclear power plant at 1,000-acres, has been closed for over ten years.
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Niigata lawmakers approved a plan on December 22 which cleared the way for Tokyo Electric Power Company (TEPCO) to restart one its seven reactors.
TEPCO ran the Fukushima Daiichi plant, whose 2011 meltdown was the world’s worst nuclear disaster since Chernobyl.
The Kashiwazaki-Kariwa plant will be the first TEPCO-run site to re-open in the country.
TEPCO spokesperson Masakatsu Takata aided locals.
He said: “We remain firmly committed to never repeating such an accident and ensuring Niigata residents never experience anything similar.”
But not all are convinced – around 300 protestors demonstrated against the decision on Monday, holding banners saying “No Nukes”.
Kenichiro Ishiyama, a 77-year-old protester from Niigata city, is furious.
She said: “I am truly angry from the bottom of my heart.
“If something was to happen at the plant, we would be the ones to suffer the consequences.”
Another protestor, Ayako Oga, 52, said she had moved to Niigata after fleeing the 2011 disaster.
She said: “We know first-hand the risk of a nuclear accident and cannot dismiss it.”
The enormous nuclear power station can produce up to 8.2 GW of energy, which could power several million homes.
The planned re-start would bring one 1.36 GW unit online next year, with plans to re-open a second reactor in 2030.
Niigata Governor Hanazumi said: “I want to see an era where we don’t have to rely on energy sources that cause anxiety.”