Japan Suspends World's Largest Nuclear Plant Hours After Restart

Japan suspended operations at the Kashiwazaki-Kariwa nuclear power plant, the world's largest, hours after its restart on Wednesday. The plant, located north-west of Tokyo, was restarting after a 15-year shutdown following the Fukushima disaster, according to the New York Times.

The Tokyo Electric Power Company (Tepco) spokesperson Takashi Kobayashi stated that an alarm sounded "during reactor-start-up procedures" at reactor number six. Despite the alarm, Kobayashi assured that the reactor remained "stable," according to BBC World. The restart of reactor number six was initially planned for Tuesday but was delayed due to an alarm malfunction. This marked the first reactor at the plant to be turned on since the 2011 Fukushima Daiichi nuclear disaster.

The New York Times reported that the controversial move to restart the plant was driven by rising energy demands and a push for energy independence in Japan. The decision highlights the ongoing debate surrounding nuclear energy's role in a post-Fukushima world, balancing economic needs with public safety and environmental concerns. All of Japan's 54 reactors were shut down following a 9.0 magnitude earthquake that triggered the Fukushima meltdown. The Kashiwazaki-Kariwa Nuclear Power Plant has the world's largest installed capacity.