February 10, 2023

Akahata 'current' column

The Nuclear Regulation Authority (NRA) held a meeting on February 8 to give approval to a new regulation which allows the operations of nuclear power plants that are older than previously maximum age limit of 60 years. The NRA, however, carried over its decision on the new regulation to a later date as one of the five NRA commissioners expressed opposition to the use of overaged reactors.

It was geologist Ishiwatari Akira, former chair of the Geological Society of Japan, who opposed the new rule. As an NRA commissioner, he examines the feasibility of earthquake- and tsunami-related countermeasures. The proposed draft extends the operating life of NPPs beyond 60 years. Currently, the operating period is set at "40 years in principle up to a maximum of 60 years".

The proposal is in line with an attempt by the Kishida government to further promote nuclear power generation by revising relevant regulations so that even aging reactors will be used beyond the current limit of 60 years. Ishiwatari said that the proposal does "not base the new findings in science and technology".

He stated that the deletion of the present legal limit from the regulations "cannot be called a shift to safety". The existing regulations were established based on the lessons learned from the 2011 nuclear accident at the Fukushima Daiichi NPP. Aged reactors which are continuously exposed to high-energy neutrons increase the risk of causing accidents, but such reactors that should be decommissioned under the current rule will be kept online, according to the new rule.

Japan is one of the world's most quake- and tsunami-prone countries. It should break away from nuclear power generation without fail.