Nuclear reactor owned by Fukushima plant operator to shut down again hours after restart

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Source: NBC News/AP

Jan. 22, 2026, 11:54 PM EST


TOKYO — A reactor at the world’s largest nuclear power plant that restarted for the first time since the 2011 Fukushima nuclear disaster is being shut down again due to a glitch that occurred hours after the unit’s resumption, its operator said.

The No. 6 reactor at the Kashiwazaki-Kariwa plant in north-central Japan reactivated Wednesday night for the first time in 14 years, as plant workers started removing neutron-absorbing control rods from the core to start stable nuclear fission.

But the process had to be suspended hours later due to a malfunction related to control rods, which are essential to safely starting up and shutting down reactors, Tokyo Electric Power Company Holdings said. TEPCO, which also manages the wrecked Fukushima plant, said there was no safety issue from the glitch.

Kashiwazaki-Kariwa plant chief Takeyuki Inagaki told a news conference that he had decided to shut down the reactor to ensure safety. The operation had to stop when an alarm went off after 52 of the 205 control rods were removed from the core, he said. Inagaki said he hoped to start putting them back in later Thursday to bring the No. 6 reactor to a shutdown.

Read more: https://www.nbcnews.com/world/asia/nuclear-reactor-owned-fukushima-plant-operator-shut-hours-restart-rcna255543

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