15 Years After the Disaster, Japan Prepares to Restart Major Nuclear Power Plant

On Monday, Japan took another crucial step towards restarting the world's largest nuclear power plant by conducting a regional vote, reports Reuters.

The facility in question is the Kashiwazaki-Kariwa nuclear power plant, located approximately 220 kilometers northwest of Tokyo, which was shut down following a powerful earthquake and tsunami in 2011. That disaster led to the meltdown of the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant and resulted in the world's worst nuclear disaster since Chernobyl.

Kashiwazaki-Kariwa was among the 54 reactors that were closed after the Fukushima nuclear crisis. The restart process begins nearly 15 years later, aimed at strengthening Japan's energy security and reducing electricity shortages.

The regional vote is seen as a significant political and social step, as public sentiment towards nuclear energy remains a sensitive issue in Japan.