The is a company initially formed to jump start the commercial use of nuclear power in Japan

Nuclear power in Japan

Nuclear energy was a national strategic priority in Japan, but there has been concern about the ability of Japan's nuclear plants to withstand seismic activity...

, and currently operates two different sites

Nuclear power

Nuclear power is the use of sustained nuclear fission to generate heat and electricity. Nuclear power plants provide about 6% of the world's energy and 13–14% of the world's electricity, with the U.S., France, and Japan together accounting for about 50% of nuclear generated electricity...

. According to the official web site, JAPC is "the only power company in Japan solely engaged in nuclear energy".

JAPC owns both units at the Tōkai Nuclear Power Plant

Tokai Nuclear Power Plant

The was Japan's first nuclear power plant. It was built in the early 1960s to the British Magnox design, and generated power from 1966 until it was decommissioned in 1998. A second nuclear plant, built at the site in the 1970s, was the first in Japan to produce over 1000 MW of electricity, and...

 and the Tsuruga Nuclear Power Plant

Tsuruga Nuclear Power Plant

The is a nuclear power plant located in the town of Tsuruga, Fukui Prefecture. It is operated by the Japan Atomic Power Company. The total site area amounts to 5.12 km2 with 4.80 km2, or 94% of it, being green area that the company is working to preserve.The Tsuruga site is a dual site with the...

 with plans to expand at Tsuruga.

The company is jointly owned by Japan's major electric utilities

Electric utility

An electric utility is a company that engages in the generation, transmission, and distribution of electricity for sale generally in a regulated market. The electrical utility industry is a major provider of energy in most countries. It is indispensable to factories, commercial establishments,...

: The Tokyo Electric Power Company

The Tokyo Electric Power Company

, also known as or TEPCO, is an electric utility servicing Japan's Kantō region, Yamanashi Prefecture, and the eastern portion of Shizuoka Prefecture. This area includes Tokyo...

 (28.23%), Kansai Electric Power (18.54%), Chubu Electric Power (15.12%), Hokuriku Electric Power Company

Hokuriku Electric Power Company

The Hokuriku Electric Power Company supplies power by a regulated monopoly to the Toyama Prefecture, Ishikawa Prefecture, the northern part of Fukui Prefecture, and northwestern parts of Gifu Prefecture...

 (13.05%), Tohoku Electric Power (6.12%), and Electric Power Development Company

Electric Power Development Company

The , operating under the brand name J-POWER, formerly , is the largest electric utility in Japan. It mainly produces Electricity from Coal and Hydroelectric Power Stations. It also has a few wind farms and is currently building a nuclear plant in Ohma, Aomori prefecture, that is scheduled to...

 (J-Power) (5.37%).

Accidents

On 11 March 2011 several nuclear reactors in Japan were badly damaged by the 2011 Tōhoku earthquake and tsunami

2011 Tōhoku earthquake and tsunami

The 2011 earthquake off the Pacific coast of Tohoku, also known as the 2011 Tohoku earthquake, or the Great East Japan Earthquake, was a magnitude 9.0 undersea megathrust earthquake off the coast of Japan that occurred at 14:46 JST on Friday, 11 March 2011, with the epicenter approximately east...

.
The Tōkai Nuclear Power Plant

Tokai Nuclear Power Plant

The was Japan's first nuclear power plant. It was built in the early 1960s to the British Magnox design, and generated power from 1966 until it was decommissioned in 1998. A second nuclear plant, built at the site in the 1970s, was the first in Japan to produce over 1000 MW of electricity, and...

lost external electric power, experienced the failure of one of its two cooling pumps, and two of its three emergency power generators. External electric power could only be restored two days after the earthquake.