Overview
- The figure, released Wednesday by the Japan Nuclear Industry Association, set the highest operating rate since 2011 and marked a third straight annual record.
- The rate rose from 32.3% in FY2024 to 33.6% as three reactors that restarted since FY2024 added output.
- The utilization metric counts output against all licensed reactors, so including 18 idle units pulled the national average down even though 15 units operated.
- Industry reporting says few additional restarts are in view, which suggests the national rate is likely to level off for now.
- Japan’s fleet shrank from 54 reactors before the Fukushima accident to 33 under tougher post‑accident rules, and limits such as a de facto 40‑year cap and roughly ¥1 trillion costs for new plants constrain the government’s push to maximize nuclear use.