5 February, 2020
Interview with Two Experts: Former UKAEA Chair Says “Political Intentions Exist Behind Unfounded Fears and Rumors”
Atoms in Japan (AIJ) conducted an exclusive interview with two experts during their recent visits to Japan: Lady Barbara Judge, former chair of the UK Atomic Energy Authority (UKAEA) and deputy chairman of the Nuclear Reform Monitoring Committee, an external expert committee monitoring efforts by TEPCO toward nuclear safety reform, and Professor Richard Lester of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT).
Saying that “safety culture is nearly sufficient” at TEPCO, Judge expressed her view that the power company had reached the point of being able to operate its nuclear power plants (NPPs) safely. Meanwhile, Lester gave high marks to Japan’s nuclear technology, adding that he expected the country would play an international role in the area of innovation, which could result in resolving global climate change issues.
——To continually improve safety, it is necessary to accumulate results in safe operation. At many NPPs in Japan, however, the national regulatory authority for safety examinations has carried out endless procedures before allowing them to resume operation, creating the current situation in which operational experience and safe operational results cannot be accumulated. Under s...more
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29 January, 2020
JAIF President Takahashi Gives Press Briefing, Describing Court Order Halting the Operation of Ikata-3 as “Regrettable”
On January 23, President Akio Takahashi of the Japan Atomic Industrial Forum (JAIF) gave a press briefing, in which a Q&A session was held with reporters on recent domestic and international movements regarding nuclear power.
At the beginning of the briefing, Takahashi described as “quite regrettable” the temporary injunction issued by the Hiroshima High Court on January 17 to halt the operation of the Ikata-3 Nuclear Power Plant (NPP), owned and operated by the Shikoku Electric Power Co..
He then referred to more general energy issues in Japan, including the country’s target for reducing CO2 emissions and the limitations of solar and wind power, reiterating the important role that nuclear power can play.
Returning to the January 17 judicial ruling, he said that the domestic nuclear industry must be prepared for the next phase, including the need to explain nuclear power to siting areas and to society as a whole so as to obtain greater understanding.
Meanwhile, looking abroad, the JAIF president made r...more
