Press Conference by Minister Muto (Excerpt)

*Note: This is a provisional translation for reference purposes only.

11:10-11:14 a.m.
Friday, October 10, 2025
Press Conference Room, METI Main Building

Opening Remarks

Visit to Osaka

On Monday, October 13, which is a national holiday, I will visit Osaka Prefecture to attend the closing ceremony of EXPO 2025 Osaka, Kansai, Japan. With only a few days remaining in the 184-day event period, the EXPO is finally approaching its closing. We are committed to ensuring safe and secure operations, while placing top priority on visitor safety until the very end of the event.

Question-and-Answer Session

Kashiwazaki-Kariwa Nuclear Power Station

Q: I would like to ask a question about Kashiwazaki-Kariwa Nuclear Power Station. According to media reports, President Kobayakawa Tomoaki of Tokyo Electric Power Company Holdings, Inc. (TEPCO) plans to attend next week's Niigata Prefectural Assembly session and to announce there that the company will consider decommissioning some reactors and establish a fund. This may be considered  one of the company’s efforts to gain understanding of local communities to allow for the restart of some reactors. Could you share your thoughts on this?

A: I am aware that the Niigata Prefectural Assembly has requested the attendance of representatives from the national government and TEPCO as witnesses on Thursday, October 16. Meanwhile, I understand that TEPCO has announced that it has not decided on any policy to consider decommissioning reactors at the Kashiwazaki-Kariwa Nuclear Power Station. Furthermore, at the Ministerial Meeting on Nuclear Energy held in August, TEPCO announced its intention to make financial contributions aimed at revitalizing the regional economy. However, to my knowledge, no decisions have been made at this time regarding the amount of the contribution or an operating scheme.Therefore, I would prefer to refrain from commenting on this point at this time.However, as I have stated previously, the national government intends to continue carefully explaining to the local communities the strategies outlined at the Ministerial Meeting on Nuclear Energy in late August. These strategies aim to enhance and strengthen nuclear disaster preparedness, reinforce TEPCO's governance, and develop regional revitalization projects that take into account local circumstances and requests. We also intend to formulate concrete measures through dialogue with the local communities.