In einer ruhigen Fischerstadt schreitet Japan in ein neues Nuklearzeitalter

*Shoko Oda for Bloomberg News*

Kansai Electric Power Co., one of the country’s major utilities, is surveying the site at its Mihama Nuclear Power Plant to determine whether it is suitable for a new reactor. It’s the first time since the Fukushima disaster in 2011 — the global industry’s worst accident since Chernobyl — that a utility is actively considering such construction.

The fallout from that disaster reshaped Japan’s energy policy. All 54 of the country’s reactors — which once provided roughly a third of domestic power — were taken offline, and imported fossil fuels became the dominant source of electricity. Public support for the technology evaporated, experienced engineers retired from the industry, and young students opted for other fields of study.

More than a decade later, the industry stands at a crossroads: commit to new reactors, or risk losing the expertise required to build them. Should Kansai Electric’s plan move forward, it would mark a watershed moment in Japan’s renewed turn toward nuclear power — part of an effort to reduce emissions and reliance on imported fuel.

[Read the full story here.](https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2025-12-05/why-japan-is-considering-its-first-new-nuclear-reactor-since-fukushima?accessToken=eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiIsInR5cCI6IkpXVCJ9.eyJzb3VyY2UiOiJTdWJzY3JpYmVyR2lmdGVkQXJ0aWNsZSIsImlhdCI6MTc2NTAxMjk1NSwiZXhwIjoxNzY1NjE3NzU1LCJhcnRpY2xlSWQiOiJUNlJVU0JLSVAzSkIwMCIsImJjb25uZWN0SWQiOiJEMzU0MUJFQjhBQUY0QkUwQkFBOUQzNkI3QjlCRjI4OCJ9.m2btfOiMTojvm-3lHXr9VVpdjUIUa_y_Fepo1Ud9d1U)