Japan scandal-hit nuclear plant operator head to resign: reports

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The president of a Japanese nuclear plant operator will step down following a quake data-tampering scandal, local media reported on September 14. File | Photo Credit: Reuters

The president of a Japanese nuclear plant operator will step down following a quake data-tampering scandal, local media reported on Monday (September 14, 2026), with the firm expected to abandon plans to restart two reactors.

Japan is moving to revive nuclear power 15 years after an enormous earthquake and tsunami sent reactors at the Fukushima atomic plant into meltdown in 2011.

Chubu Electric Power's Hamaoka nuclear plant — located in an area of central Japan at risk of a potential "megaquake" — has been undergoing regulatory safety checks, with the aim of restarting two reactors.

But in January, the operator said that it had submitted data to regulators that underestimated earthquake risks.

Public broadcaster NHK and other local media said that president Kingo Hayashi and chairman Satoru Katsuno will step down.

The company is reportedly holding a press conference later in the day. The firm was not immediately available for comment.

A 250-page report by an independent panel, released on Monday (September 14, 2026), said the management's "reprimand" over delays in the restart review had created pressure on staff, and was "one of the factors contributing to the misconduct".

The Nikkei business daily reported that the company will withdraw its application for the review process.

Japan pulled the plug on nuclear power in the wake of the meltdown at the Fukushima atomic plant.

However, the resource-poor nation now wants to revive atomic energy to reduce its heavy dependence on fossil fuels, achieve carbon neutrality by 2050 and meet growing energy needs from artificial intelligence.

The world's biggest nuclear plant, Kashiwazaki-Kariwa, restarted operations earlier this year.

The estimate of maximum seismic ground motion is important for the earthquake-resistant design of nuclear plants.