A Japanese nuclear reactor at the Onagawa power plant just resumed operations after being idle for over 13 years. But it was shut down on Monday due to equipment issues. 

This shutdown comes just days after the No. 2 reactor was reactivated on October 29, marking its first operation since the 2011 earthquake and tsunami that devastated the nearby Fukushima nuclear facility.

It was anticipated that it would begin generating power in early November. But it had to be shut down only five days after it was restarted. 

Tohoku Electric Power Co., the plant operator, reported that the shutdown was triggered by a glitch in a device used for monitoring neutron data within the reactor. 

The reactor was functioning normally at the time, with no radiation leaks detected. Tohoku Electric stated that the decision to halt operations was made to allow for further examination and ensure resident safety.

 No new timeline has been provided for its restart.

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2011 Earthquake and Tsunami

The Onagawa nuclear plant, located about 100 kilometers (62 miles) north of Fukushima, faced the same 2011 earthquake and tsunami that led to catastrophic meltdowns at the Fukushima Daiichi plant. 

Despite being hit by a 13-meter (42-foot) tsunami, Onagawa’s cooling systems were able to remain operational, enabling all three reactors to shut down safely.

After the Fukushima disaster, Japan’s 54 commercial nuclear reactors were taken offline for safety assessments and upgrades.

Onagawa No. 2’s reactivation made it the 13th of Japan’s 33 remaining operational reactors to resume activities as part of Japan’s renewed commitment to nuclear power.

Japanese Nuclear Reactor and Climate Change

In response to energy demands and climate goals, Japan’s government adopted a policy last year to expand nuclear energy use and accelerate reactor restarts.

 This initiative aims to stabilize energy supplies and align with Japan’s 2050 carbon neutrality pledge.

However, the renewed emphasis on nuclear power has stirred concerns, especially after a magnitude 7.5 earthquake hit the Noto Peninsula on January 1, 2024, resulting in over 400 deaths and damage to more than 100,000 structures.

This incident also caused minor damage to nearby nuclear facilities, exposing inadequacies in regional evacuation plans and intensifying public safety apprehensions.