Number of operable nuclear power plants Japan 2023, by company

As of November 2023, Kansai Electric Power had seven operable nuclear power plants, representing the company with the highest number of operable nuclear power plants in Japan. Overall, the number of currently operable nuclear reactors amounted to 12.

 Intentions to further increase the nuclear energy share 

After the nuclear disaster in Fukushima Prefecture in 2011, all nuclear reactors in Japan were shut down for safety inspections. Consequently, the share of nuclear energy in the primary energy supply decreased to zero. The first nuclear reactors were restarted in 2015 and the share increased to over three percent in recent years. The Japanese government intends to further increase the nuclear energy share to around 22 percent by 2030 as part of the plan to reduce its dependency on fossil fuel imports, electricity costs as well as greenhouse gas emissions.

 Decommissioning of the Fukushima power plant

While other Japanese electric companies are slowly restarting their nuclear reactors, the nuclear power plants of TEPCO remain shut down as the company is working on the decommissioning of the Fukushima nuclear power plant.
As TEPCO started to release treated nuclear-contaminated water into the Pacific Ocean at the end of 2023 as part of the decontamination process, there were protests among neighboring countries. While the process was criticized within Japan as well, a survey showed that the majority of citizens in Fukushima Prefecture were not concerned about long-term health effects.