page_title: Electricity sector in Japan
section_title: Nuclear power
hierarchical_section_title: Electricity sector in Japan / Mode of production / Nuclear power
caption_attribution_description: English: Anti-Nuclear Power Plant Rally on 19 September 2011 at Meiji Shrine Outer Garden 日本語: 2011年9月19日に明治神宮外苑で行われたさようなら原発集会
context_page_description: The electric power industry in Japan covers the generation, transmission, distribution, and sale of electric energy in Japan. Japan consumed 995.26 TWh of electricity in 2014.
  Before the 2011 Fukushima Daiichi nuclear disaster, about one third of electricity in the country was generated by nuclear power.
  In the following years, most nuclear power plants have been on hold, being replaced mostly by coal and natural gas.
  Solar power is a growing source of electricity, and Japan has the third largest solar PV installed capacity with about 50 GW as of 2017.
  Japan has the second largest pumped-hydro storage installed capacity in the world after China.
  The electrical grid in Japan is isolated, with no international connections, and consists of two wide area synchronous grids which run at different frequencies and are connected by HVDC connections.
  This considerably limits the amount of electricity that can be transmitted between the north and south of the country.
context_section_description: Nuclear power was a national strategic priority in Japan. Following the 2011 Fukushima nuclear accidents, the national nuclear strategy is in doubt due to increasing public opposition to nuclear power. An energy white paper, approved by the Japanese Cabinet in October 2011, reported that "public confidence in safety of nuclear power was greatly damaged" by the Fukushima disaster, and it calls for a reduction in the nation's reliance on nuclear power.
  Following the 2011 accident, many reactors were shut down for inspection and for upgrades to more stringent safety standards. By October 2011, only 11 nuclear power plants were operating in Japan, and all 50 nuclear reactors were offline by 15 September 2013, leaving Japan without nuclear energy for only the second time in almost 50 years. Carbon dioxide emissions from the electricity industry rose in 2012, reaching levels 39% more than when the reactors were in operation. 
  Sendai 1 reactor was restarted on 11 August 2015, the first reactor to meet new safety standards and be restarted after the shutdown. As of July 2018, there are nine reactors that have been restarted.
caption: Anti-Nuclear Power Plant Rally on 19 September 2011 at Meiji Shrine complex in Tokyo.
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