Japan Atomic Power Company (JAPC) compiled its plans for additional surveys in efforts to reapply for review under post-Fukushima regulatory requirements with the 1.16GW Tsuruga Nuclear Power Plant Unit 2, the company announced on August 21, 2025. The reactor is the only one to date to have been denied restart by the Nuclear Regulation Authority (NRA).
According to the statement, JAPC will conduct surveys of a fault line that has been the key reason behind the rejection over the next two years. Once completed in FY2027, it plans to use the collected data to determine the next steps required to reinforce its previous evaluation that the reactor complies with the new regulatory requirements.
“We will begin on-site investigations as soon as preparations are complete, and will keep local residents and other relevant parties informed,” said the company.
NRA first indicated it would deny the restart in July 2024 and finalized the decision that November. At the time, JAPC’s President Mamoru Muramatsu said the company was “not considering” decommissioning the unit and that it would reapply for review in the future. It initially planned to compile the additional survey plans by the end of March 2025 but delayed their release.
Unit 2 is Tsuruga’s only operable unit following JAPC’s 2015 decision to decommission the 357MW Unit 1. Prior to the 2011 nuclear disaster, the company was planning to expand the power plant with two 1.54GW reactors.
JAPC, a joint venture between six of Japan’s major utilities, also owns the 1.1GW, single-unit Tokai No. 2 Nuclear Power Plant, which is currently undergoing safety upgrades. Its restart, alongside that of Tsuruga 2 and other reactors that have been offline since the disaster, are seen as critical for Japan to meet its 20% share of nuclear power by 2040 target outlined in the country’s 7th Basic Energy Plan.
