Frequently Asked Questions

"Atoms In Japan" is the only English publication to introduce the current state of Japanese nuclear energy development to interested parties overseas.

In January 1957, a letter addressed to the Japan Atomic Industrial Forum (JAIF) arrived from the United Kingdom Atomic Energy Authority (UKAEA). It was a request to receive a digest of the monthly bulletin, published by JAIF since May 1956, about Japan's domestic nuclear energy situation. UKAEA made its request for a copy of the bulletin in English. In response to that request, JAIF decided to exchange information and materials with "Atom," the official publication of the UKAEA.

In fact, the Japanese edition of "Domestic Situation in Atomic Energy" did not only cover just domestic Japanese moves in the field of nuclear energy, but also introduced overseas developments. For that reason, the English version extracted only those sections relating to moves made by the public, private and academic sectors in Japan in the field of nuclear energy development. A board meeting of JAIF held on March 5,1957, decided officially to launch the monthly English publication, which it named "Atoms in Japan." The first issue was released soon after, on April 25, 1957. That date was timed to coincide with the "Japan-U.S. Atomic Energy Joint Conference" in Tokyo, sponsored by both JAIF and the U.S. Atomic Industrial Forum, with top leaders from both countries' nuclear power industries participating.

Since then, "Atoms in Japan" has continued to be published for nearly half a century. It is probably the only English publication to introduce the current state of Japanese nuclear energy development to interested parties overseas. However, in recent years, the presentation of information in a monthly published form has come to be seen as no longer sufficient to meet the requirements for the quick dispatch of news from Japan concerning breaking developments in nuclear energy in this country.

In response to such demands for more timely information, "Atoms in Japan" undergo a rebirth in a Web-based format starting in January 2005, without forgetting the purpose and significance of its original publication.

We are sorry, but we stopped printing "Atoms In Japan" with the December 2004 issue. You can, however, print PDF files from the Website.

Although we used to include "Nuclear Science Information of Japan" as a bonus, it is published by the Japan Atomic Energy Research Institute and has no connection with JAIF or "Atoms In Japan." Please contact the Japan Atomic Energy Research Institute (http://www.jaeri.go.jp/english/).

Yes, as an introduction. Please visit the site as often as you like. We hope you enjoy it.

You will need to subscribe and receive an ID and password. Please contact aij@jaif.or.jp for a subscription, which costs $350 per year. Note that when an organization subscribes (for $350), any number of individuals in that organization can access the site with the same ID and password.

We also sometimes make arrangements with parties who are in a position to provide the AIJ editorial staff with various useful materials, in exchange for which they are granted access to "Atoms In Japan" free of charge. For this, too, please contact aij@jaif.or.jp. (See also the related questions below.)

Anyone can subscribe for $350 per year. But since all members of an organization can share the same subscription without additional charge, it is certainly more economical, if you belong to an organization, to subscribe in its name.

Dealing with agents requires mutual trust, and, unfortunately, JAIF's experiences with agents in the past were often not pleasant ones. We no longer deal with agents. If you are interested in a subscription, please contact us directly at aij@jaif.or.jp. We think we will be able to satisfy you.

Yes. Subscriptions are for one year, April through March. If a subscriber wishes to cancel a subscription, there can unfortunately be no partial refund.

In that case, you will be billed for the number of months through the next March, at $30/month. For example, if a subscription is begun in mid-July, the charge will be $270 ($30 x 9) for the nine months of July through March. The subscription accounting period remains April-March.

We will send a bill. Please pay within 30 days of receipt.

We are sorry, but we don't accept payment by credit card.

In reality, even when printed, most of the costs for "Atoms In Japan" were editorial costs, which is still the case. Printing and distribution were quite rational. And of course there are Web costs now, including personnel. We are afraid a reduction is not possible.

We are doing that work now, and you should certainly receive your ID and password by the end of March.

Yes, within the limits of good faith and common sense. Our policy is to be reasonable and accommodating. Please be sure to clearly mention JAIF and "Atoms In Japan" as your source.

Not with an individual subscription. Within the same organization, however, there is no limit to the number of people who may access the site - and the cost is the same as for one. Note that whenever the same ID and password are used from non-related IP addresses, we may temporarily suspend access in order to investigate the situation.

Thank you. Let us know the details at aij@jaif.or.jp.

Basically, we want English periodicals, annual reports, and things like that. Pictures of nuclear facilities and pamphlets could also be of interest, depending on the situation. Please contact aij@jaif.or.jp to discuss this further.

Yes. The visitors should not, however, be given the ID or password. Those should remain under the control of the library staff. Thank you for your cooperation and support.

The list is maintained in the order of the dates of the articles themselves. That is certainly the easiest way, we think, for most readers to grasp the flow of events and to find what they are looking for. Sometimes, however, for various reasons, the availability of a particular article for posting on the site is delayed. When we are in fact able to put it up, we put it in its proper chronological place, and mark it "UP."