Hamaoka nuclear restart dropped after data scandal

Chubu Electric Power said Monday it would withdraw applications to restart two reactors at Japan's Hamaoka nuclear plant after a quake data-tampering scandal, while its president and chairman are stepping down.

The company said President Kingo Hayashi and Chairman Satoru Katsuno would be replaced. Hayashi told a news conference he felt deep remorse and regretted failing to build an organisational culture that put compliance and safety first.

Hamaoka, in Omaezaki, Shizuoka prefecture, had been undergoing regulatory safety checks aimed at restarting two reactors. In January, Chubu Electric said it had submitted data to regulators that underestimated earthquake risks.

An independent panel said in a 250-page report released Monday that management pressure over delays in the restart review was one factor contributing to the misconduct. The Nuclear Regulation Authority had suspended its safety review process for Hamaoka in late December after receiving whistleblower information about possible data fraud in February 2025.

The plant is in central Japan near a seismic fault line where a major Pacific earthquake is expected in coming years or decades. Japan has been seeking to revive nuclear power 15 years after the 2011 Fukushima meltdown, as it tries to reduce dependence on fossil fuels, meet carbon neutrality goals and cover rising energy demand.