Japan fires up oldest nuclear reactor

Operating company Kansai Electric Power restarted Japan's oldest nuclear reactor on Friday.

Reactor unit number 1 at the Takahama nuclear power plant in Fukui Prefecture, which is 48 years old, is scheduled to generate electricity from next Wednesday before resuming full operation on August 28.

The reactor was originally commissioned in 1974 and taken offline in January 2011. The reactor remained shut down following the earthquake and tsunami in March of the same year, which led to meltdowns at the Fukushima nuclear power plant.

Despite the catastrophe and the constant threat of new earthquakes, resource-poor Japan continues to rely on nuclear power, aiming to reduce its dependency on oil and gas imports.

Japan has also pledged to reduce CO2 emissions to zero by 2050. The government plans to generate around 20% to 22% of electricity from nuclear energy and 36% to 38% from renewable energy sources by 2030.

To achieve this target, nearly 30 reactors would need to be put back into operation. Japan's parliament recently passed a law that removes the previous 60-year limitation on the operation of nuclear reactors.

Japan plans to release treated water from the Fukushima nuclear disaster site into the sea, despite opposition from local fishermen and neighbouring countries, including China. The reactors still require water cooling, and the treated water has been stored in numerous tanks.