Japan’s nuclear blunder a reminderBy Lin Ren-bin 林仁斌The kashiwazaki-Kariwa Nuclear Power Plant in Japan’s Niigata Prefecture was again forced to suspend operations after a control rod alarm malfunction. Taiwan, too, has long felt public unease over nuclear safety amid last year’s referendum on restarting the Ma-anshan Nuclear Power Plant and long-standing energy debates. Talks about restarting nuclear power plants is a test of governance. The Kashiwazaki-Kariwa blunder is a wake-up call that nuclear safety cannot be a mere slogan — it must be a core principle of decisionmaking and operations. If Taiwan wishes to seriously contemplate restarting nuclear power, it must first revive institutional trust and governance capacity.

Source: Taipei Times January 26, 2026 17:50 UTC