Tag - niigata

 
 

NIIGATA

Tomomi Duquette is the owner of Snow Satoyama Sake, one of just three breweries that have opened in Niigata Prefecture since 1953.
LIFE / Food & Drink
Jun 14, 2026
Newcomer to hallowed Niigata sake scene is already winning awards
Sake evangelist Tomomi Duquette is breathing new life into the heartland of sake brewing.
Niigata Gov. Hideyo Hanazumi won his third four-year term in Sunday's gubernatorial election.
JAPAN / Politics
Jun 1, 2026
Hanazumi wins third term as Niigata governor
The 68-year-old governor was backed by the Liberal Democratic Party and the prefectural chapters of the Japan Innovation Party, the Democratic Party for the People and Komeito.
The Environment Ministry aims to gain a better  understanding of bear behavior in wide areas, as bears often roam across prefectural borders.
JAPAN
May 20, 2026
Japan to survey bear habitats in Niigata and Tohoku region
The government surveys aim to gain a better understanding of bear behavior in wide areas, as bears often roam across prefectural borders.
Judge Akifumi Morimoto is suspected of accessing an online casino site more than 60,000 times and engaging in gambling from April to September 2023.
JAPAN / Crime & Legal
May 14, 2026
Japan’s top court seeks judge’s dismissal over his suspected online gambling
The Akita District Public Prosecutors Office indicted the judge on suspicion of accessing an online casino site more than 60,000 times and gambling from April to September 2023.
Koji Terao, the Hokuetsu High School teacher in charge of supervising the school's soft tennis team, speaks at a news conference in Niigata on Sunday.
JAPAN
May 11, 2026
High school in Niigata had arranged buses through local firm before fatal crash
A microbus carrying 20 students of the soft tennis club of Hokuetsu High School in the city of Niigata crashed into a guardrail on Wednesday, leaving one student dead.
Transport ministry officials enter Kanbara Tetsudo in Gosen, Niigata Prefecture, on Thursday to conduct an on-site inspection.
JAPAN / Crime & Legal
May 8, 2026
Microbus driver arrested after crash kills student in northeastern Japan
The vehicle was carrying 20 members of a school soft tennis club from Niigata Prefecture.
Industry minister Ryosei Akazawa (center) inspects the central control room at the Kashiwazaki-Kariwa nuclear power plant in Niigata Prefecture on Saturday.
JAPAN
Apr 26, 2026
Minister inspects Kashiwazaki-Kariwa nuclear plant
Akazawa made the visit after the No. 6 reactor of the plant restarted commercial operations on April 16.
Tokyo Electric Power Company Holdings resumed commercial operations of reactor No. 6 at its Kashiwazaki-Kariwa nuclear plant in Niigata Prefecture on Thursday.
JAPAN
Apr 16, 2026
Tepco resumes commercial operations at Niigata plant for first time in 14 years
The restart of reactor No. 6 at the Kashiwazaki-Kariwa nuclear power plant comes roughly 50 days later than scheduled.
After studying cultural anthropology in London, Nina Otsubo Cataldo (left) started a consulting business in Niigata Prefecture that helps bridge the gap between foreign and local residents.
COMMUNITY / Our Lives
Apr 3, 2026
In rural Japan, a consultant code-switches and connects
A cultural consultant is combining academic and personal passions in Niigata Prefecture while maintaining an online community for women of similar biracial backgrounds.
Rusutsu lift pass police check that companies guiding and teaching on their resort have a corporate pass.
JAPAN / Society / FOCUS
Apr 1, 2026
Foreign ski instructors and guides operating illegally in Japan spark concerns
Officials and businesses in major winter destinations warn that such illicit operations could disrupt public order, create unfair competition and raise safety concerns.
TEPCO said Sunday that the resumption at the No. 6 reactor at its Kashiwazaki-Kariwa nuclear plant came a day after the replacement of a damaged part that led to the suspension of power generation.
JAPAN
Mar 22, 2026
Kashiwazaki-Kariwa nuclear reactor resumes power generation
It was found later that a part that detects electricity leakage was damaged due to vibrations from the generator.
Kashiwazaki-Kariwa nuclear power complex in Niigata Prefecture
JAPAN
Mar 20, 2026
Tepco delays operation at Niigata nuclear plant due to electricity leak
The plant’s No. 6 reactor was halted soon after its restart on Jan. 21 when an alarm was triggered. It was reactivated on Feb. 9 and began power generation on Feb. 16.
The Kashiwazaki-Kariwa nuclear power plant, one of the world's largest nuclear facilities, in Niigata Prefecture in December
BUSINESS / Economy
Mar 6, 2026
Japan’s nuclear comeback slow, steady and seen as necessary
A stable source of emission-free power is needed if the country is to meet its energy goals
South Korean director Sasha Lee’s surreal film “The Popstar Water Deer and I” received the mid-length grand prize at this year’s Niigata International Animation Film Festival.
CULTURE / Film
Mar 5, 2026
Reeling from loss, Niigata’s animation festival refuses to fold
After losing key organizers and the death of its founder, the festival wasn’t sure it could go on. Instead of going dark, however, NIAFF rebuilt from scratch.
The Kashiwazaki-Kariwa nuclear power plant in Kashiwazaki, Niigata Prefecture. An employee of Tokyo Electric Power Company Holdings has been found to have improperly handled confidential documents on the plant.
JAPAN
Feb 25, 2026
Tepco employee improperly handled confidential nuclear plant documents
The employee photographed the documents with a smartphone without permission and emailed a summary of the contents to 16 colleagues in February 2025.
The Kashiwazaki-Kariwa nuclear power plant in Kashiwazaki, Niigata Prefecture. The brief halt of the No. 6 reactor was carried out for inspections, including checking for abnormalities in turbine-related equipment, which started generating and sending electricity for the first time in about 14 years.
JAPAN
Feb 25, 2026
Kashiwazaki-Kariwa No. 6 nuclear reactor restarted after scheduled halt
The brief halt of the No. 6 reactor was carried out for inspections, including checking for abnormalities in turbine-related equipment, with no issues found.
Staff at Tokyo Electric Power Company Holdings' Kashiwazaki-Kariwa nuclear plant operate a control panel for power transmission on Monday.
JAPAN
Feb 17, 2026
Tepco’s Kashiwazaki-Kariwa plant restarts power transmission
Tepco plans to increase the No. 6 reactor’s output level to 50% before temporarily halting it on Friday or later to inspect the turbine equipment.
Tokyo Electric Power Company Holdings' Kashiwazaki-Kariwa nuclear power plant in Niigata Prefecture
JAPAN
Feb 15, 2026
Tepco fixes instrument glitch at Kashiwazaki-Kariwa nuclear plant
Due to the malfunction, the planned start of power generation and transmission from the reactor is expected to be delayed by about half a day.
The Kashiwazaki-Kariwa nuclear power plant’s central control room in the village of Kariwa in Niigata Prefecture on Jan. 21
JAPAN
Feb 9, 2026
Japan’s biggest nuclear plant restarts second time after hiccup
Tepco, the operator of the Fukushima nuclear power plant that suffered a meltdown accident in 2011, is facing public scrutiny to safely resume its Kashiwazaki-Kariwa plant.
Tokyo Electric Power Company Holdings' Kashiwazaki-Kariwa plant in Niigata Prefecture. The company plans to postpone the start of the reactor's commercial operations to March 18.
BUSINESS / Companies
Feb 6, 2026
Tepco to restart Kashiwazaki-Kariwa No. 6 reactor on Monday
Tepco restarted the reactor on Jan. 21 for the first time in 13 years and 10 months but soon shut it down following an alarm that went off due to an error with its settings.

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The Terasaka Rice Terraces are seen with Mount Buko in the background.
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