Where do Japan and its nuclear energy ambitions stand 15 years after the devastating magnitude 9.0 earthquake of March 11, 2011, a destructive tsunami, and an accident at Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant ground them to a halt?

A look at developments within the last year involving Japan’s political leadership, international relations, its fleet of nuclear plants, and the ongoing cleanup and decommissioning at Fukushima shows an island country pushing nuclear to the forefront of its energy plans.

Update: Operation of Unit 6 at Kashiwazaki Kariwa nuclear power plant in Japan’s Niigata Prefecture was suspended Thursday morning after its initial restart on the evening of Wednesday, January 21. According to TEPCO spokesperson Takashi Kobayashi, an alarm sounded “during reactor start-up procedures.” The cause is currently under investigation, but there is no danger inside or outside the plant. Plant chief Takeyuki Inagaki said at a news conference, “The equipment is essential to safe operation, and we will examine it inside-out.”