Nuclear power in Japan
nuclearchain.net/countries/japan/ · data: Global Energy Monitor (GNPT, August 2026), CC BY 4.0 · printed from the live page
Japan operates 15 nuclear power reactors across 27 sites, with 14.6 GW of gross capacity. A further 2 units are under construction, adding 2.8 GW. 27 units have been retired.
Operating fleet by type: PWR (12), BWR (3). Principal operators: Kansai Electric Power, Kyushu Electric Power, Tokyo Electric Power.
Japan's 7th Strategic Energy Plan, approved by cabinet in February 2025, keeps a nuclear target of around 20% for 2040 and provides for next-generation reactors. A 2023 law, in force since June 2025, excludes offline periods from the 60-year operating limit. Policy position as read on 2026-11-03: World Nuclear Association, Nuclear Power in Japan (page dated 2026-09-22).
Operating capacity over time
Data table
| Year | Units online | GW gross | Change, GW |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1965 | 1 | 0.01 | +0.01 |
| 1966 | 2 | 0.18 | +0.17 |
| 1970 | 4 | 0.88 | +0.70 |
| 1971 | 5 | 1.34 | +0.46 |
| 1972 | 6 | 1.84 | +0.50 |
| 1974 | 9 | 3.91 | +2.07 |
| 1975 | 11 | 5.29 | +1.39 |
| 1976 | 13 | 7.43 | +2.14 |
| 1977 | 14 | 7.99 | +0.57 |
| 1978 | 17 | 10.40 | +2.41 |
| 1979 | 21 | 14.02 | +3.62 |
| 1981 | 22 | 14.58 | +0.56 |
| 1982 | 24 | 16.24 | +1.67 |
| 1984 | 27 | 18.76 | +2.51 |
| 1985 | 31 | 22.49 | +3.73 |
| 1987 | 32 | 23.59 | +1.10 |
| 1991 | 33 | 24.77 | +1.18 |
| 1993 | 34 | 25.95 | +1.18 |
| 1994 | 36 | 28.02 | +2.07 |
| 1995 | 37 | 28.30 | +0.28 |
| 1997 | 38 | 29.48 | +1.18 |
| 1998 | 37 | 29.31 | −0.17 |
| 2003 | 36 | 29.15 | −0.17 |
| 2009 | 34 | 27.77 | −1.38 |
| 2011 | 30 | 24.95 | −2.81 |
| 2013 | 28 | 23.07 | −1.88 |
| 2015 | 23 | 20.85 | −2.22 |
| 2016 | 22 | 20.29 | −0.57 |
| 2017 | 21 | 20.01 | −0.28 |
| 2018 | 17 | 16.57 | −3.44 |
| 2019 | 12 | 11.61 | −4.96 |
| 2024 | 14 | 13.25 | +1.65 |
| 2026 | 15 | 14.61 | +1.36 |
Only years in which capacity changed are listed.
Position in the fuel chain
| Facility | Stage | Operator | Capacity / output |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mutsu Recyclable Fuel Storage Center | dry storage | Recyclable-Fuel Storage Company | 3,000tHM |
| Rokkasho Enrichment Plant | enrichment | Japan Nuclear Fuel Limited | 150tSWU/yr |
| Kurihama (GNF-J) | fabrication | Global Nuclear Fuel | 630tHM/yr |
| Tokai-Mura (Mitsubishi Nuclear Fuel) | fabrication | Mitsubishi Heavy Industries | 440tHM/yr |
| Kumatori (NFI) | fabrication | Nuclear Fuel Industries | 284tHM/yr |
| Tokai-Mura (NFI) | fabrication | Nuclear Fuel Industries | 250tHM/yr |
| J-MOX, Rokkasho | fabrication | Japan Nuclear Fuel Limited | 130tHM/yr |
| Rokkasho LLW Disposal Center | repository | Japan Nuclear Fuel Limited | not disclosed |
| Rokkasho Reprocessing Plant | reprocessing | Japan Nuclear Fuel Limited | 800tHM/yr |
All units in Japan
Fuel supply exposure
The fuel families Japan's operating reactors take, and the fabricators our sources document as able to make each. This is capability, not contracts: it does not say who actually supplies a given plant.
| Fuel family | Units | GW gross | Documented fabricators | Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| PWR (square-lattice) fuel | 12 | 11.6 | Westinghouse Electric Company, Framatome, KEPCO Nuclear Fuel, China National Nuclear Corporation, ENUSA Industrias Avanzadas, Mitsubishi Heavy Industries | |
| BWR fuel | 3 | 3.0 | Global Nuclear Fuel, Westinghouse Electric Company, Framatome |
See every country and who fabricates fuel.
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Sources
- Global Nuclear Power Tracker, Global Energy Monitor, August 2026 release , CC BY 4.0 · retrieved 2026-09-06
- Nuclear share of electricity: Our World in Data, from Ember and the Energy Institute , CC BY 4.0 · retrieved 2026-10-28
How these sources are used, including the corrections applied on top of them and what is deliberately left blank · download the underlying data