Japanese Nuclear Safety Commission

The 2011 Fukushima Daiichi nuclear disaster in Japan, the worst nuclear accident in 25 years, displaced 50,000 households after radiation leaked into the air, soil and sea.[1] Radiation checks led to bans of some shipments of vegetables and fish.[2]

Japan's Nuclear Safety Commission (原子力安全委員会 Genshiryoku Anzen Iinkai) was a commission established within the Cabinet of Japan as an independent agency to play the main role in nuclear safety administration. Commissioners are appointed by the Prime Minister of Japan on Diet approval. The commission has stronger authority than any other ordinary advisory committees, in that the Commission can make recommendations to relevant agencies in the name of the Prime Minister if it is necessary.

The Nuclear Safety Commission reviews safety inspections conducted by regulatory agencies, such as the Nuclear and Industrial Safety Agency.

In 2007, the independence of the Nuclear Safety Commission was questioned by seismologist Professor Katsuhiko Ishibashi, after a senior Nuclear and Industrial Safety Agency official appeared to rule out a new review of the NSC's seismic design standards.[3]

Madarame Haruki, as Chairman of the Nuclear Safety Commission (2010-2012), was an ardent pro-nuclear advocate. However, his inquiry testimony in the Diet in February 2012, showed that he had become critical of the Commission's approach. He said that "Japan's atomic safety rules are inferior to global standards and left the country unprepared for the Fukushima nuclear disaster last March". There were flaws in, and lax enforcement of, the safety rules governing Japanese nuclear power companies, and this included insufficient protection against tsunamis.[4] He said the nuclear power industry had strenuously opposed adopting stricter international safety standards. He spoke of officials ignoring nuclear risks and said, "We ended up wasting our time looking for excuses that these measures are not needed in Japan".[5]

Madarame also asserted that Japan’s safety monitoring technology is outdated, while acknowledging that the Nuclear Safety Commission had, "…succumbed to a blind belief in the country’s technical prowess and failed to thoroughly assess the risks of building nuclear reactors in an earthquake-prone country".[5] Regulators and the utilities missed many opportunities to improve operating safety standards and warned that safety regulations are fundamentally inadequate and minimally enforced. He also asserted that regulatory capture was an issue, where regulators had little power and were often subsumed by utility interests. In Madarame’s view, there has been a collective heedlessness about safety and inadequate risk management.[5]

It was reported that the government plans to merge the Nuclear and Industrial Safety Agency with the Nuclear Safety Commission, to create a new nuclear safety agency, under the environment ministry, by April 2012.[6] The Nuclear Regulation Authority was created on September 19, 2012.[7]

History

The Representatives from the Nuclear Safety Commission visited the NRC headquarters, in order to exchange information with members of the NRC / OIG. (Rockville, Maryland, February 9, 2005)

See also

References

  1. ↑ Tomoko Yamazaki and Shunichi Ozasa (June 27, 2011). "Fukushima Retiree Leads Anti-Nuclear Shareholders at Tepco Annual Meeting". Bloomberg.
  2. ↑ Mari Saito (May 7, 2011). "Japan anti-nuclear protesters rally after PM call to close plant". Reuters.
  3. ↑ Katsuhiko Ishibashi, "Why worry? Japan's nuclear plants at grave risk from quake damage" The Asia-Pacific Journal: Japan Focus (August 11, 2007) Also published by the International Herald Tribune (August 11, 2007). Retrieved March 24, 2011
  4. ↑ "Nuclear Safety Chief Says Lax Rules Led to Fukushima Crisis". Bloomberg. 16 February 2012.
  5. 1 2 3 Jeff Kingston, "Japan's Nuclear Village," The Asia-Pacific Journal, Vol. 10, Issue 37, No. 1, September 10, 2012.
  6. ↑ Tsuyoshi Inajima (August 3, 2011). "Japan May Create New Nuclear Watchdog by April, Asahi Reports". Bloomberg.
  7. ↑ Asashi Shimbun Japan gets a new nuclear safety body, now needs to write rules September 20, 2012 Retrieved on September 24, 2012
  8. ↑ 原子力発電所における全交流電源喪失事象について [The event of entire Alternating Current station blackout on the nuclear power plant] (PDF) (in Japanese). Japanese Nuclear Safety Commission. dated 1993-06-11. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2011-07-13. Retrieved 2011-07-18. Check date values in: |date= (help)
  9. ↑ 1. 18年前、全電源喪失検討 安全委 幻の報告書 [18 years ago, SBO was discussed by Japanese Nuclear Safety Commission, but it is a phantom report.]. Tokyo Shimbun (in Japanese). 2011-07-14 ver.11 Page 2. Retrieved 2011-07-18. Check date values in: |date= (help)
    2. 東日本大震災：福島第１原発事故「全電源喪失は考慮不要」93年、安全委が国追認 [Aftermath of the 2011 Tōhoku earthquake and tsunami; Fukushima Daiichi nuclear disaster, "reported in 1993, No need to consider SBO", Japanese Nuclear Safety Commission had followed to acknowledge governments regulation.]. Mainichi Shimbun (in Japanese). 2011-07-14 ver.14新Page 1. Retrieved 2011-07-18. Check date values in: |date= (help)
    3. 18年前に電源喪失対策検討「重大性低い」安全委結論 [Japanese Nuclear Safety Commission concluded "Low seriousness" on discussed SBO 18 years ago.]. Asahi Shimbun (in Japanese). 2011-07-14 Ver. 13 Page 1. Retrieved 2011-07-18. Check date values in: |date= (help)
    4. 原発の電源喪失、安全委93年に検討…公表せず [SBO in nuclear power plant, Japanese Nuclear Safety Commission discussed in 1993, ..... but no disclosure.] (in Japanese). Yomiuri Shimbun. 2011-07-15. Retrieved 2011-07-18.
  10. ↑ Jaif (5 September 2011)Japan’s Cabinet Secretariat Sets Up Office for Nuclear Safety Regulatory Reform
  11. ↑ The Mainichi Daily News (3 January 2012) 2 nuclear safety panel members got 7.1 mil. yen donation from industry
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