Japan restarts world’s biggest nuclear plant

The world’s biggest nuclear power plant was restarted yesterday for the first time since the 2011 Fukushima disaster, its Japanese operator said, despite persistent safety concerns among residents.

The plant was “started at 19:02”, Tokyo Electric Power Company (TEPCO) spokesman Tatsuya Matoba told AFP of the Kashiwazaki-Kariwa plant in Niigata prefecture.

The regional governor approved the resumption last month, although public opinion remains sharply divided. On Tuesday, a few dozen protesters demonstrated near the plant’s entrance.