As Japan marks 13 years since the devastating earthquake, tsunami and nuclear disaster in March 2011, the government of Prime Minister Fumio Kishida is moving toward restarting idled nuclear power reactors.
But a powerful Jan. 1 earthquake that struck the Noto Peninsula in Ishikawa Prefecture reminded the country of how seismic activity can lead to bigger disasters if a nuclear plant is nearby. The New Year's Day quake occurred near Hokuriku Electric Power's Shika nuclear power station in Ishikawa.
The controversial restart of nuclear power reactors is set to return to the spotlight in parliament, with opposition parties likely to step up their criticisms of the current evacuation plans in the event of a nuclear disaster.