Japan Press Weekly

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2011 March 16 - 22 TOP3 [NUCLEAR CRISIS]

Have Nuclear Safety Commission play key role

The ongoing crisis at the Fukushima No.1 Nuclear Power Plant urgently needs the role of the Nuclear Safety Commission (NSC), an independent organ in charge of safety regulations pertaining to nuclear energy.

Established in 1978, the NSC includes the Examination Committee of Reactor Safety (60 members), the Examination Committee of Nuclear Fuel Safety (40 members), Emergency Technical Advisory Bodies (40 members), 14 Special Committees (about 250 members), and the Secretariat (about 100 members) under 5 Commissioners appointed by the Prime Minister. The NSC has the advisory authority to relevant administrative organizations.

In order to maintain the safety of nuclear energy, it is essential to assign a neutral body, which is independent of the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry (METI), the Tokyo Electric Power Company (TEPCO), and other nuclear energy promoters, to assess conditions at nuclear plants. The Convention on Nuclear Safety, which entered into force in 1996, calls for an “effective separation between the functions of the regulatory body and those of any other body or organization concerned with the promotion or utilization of nuclear energy” (Article 8).

Japanese Communist Party Chair Shii Kazuo made representations to the government on March 15, demanding that the NSC be given the necessary authority and that all the related information be transmitted to this third organ.

It is expected that it will take a significant period of time to reach an end to the problems brought about by the current nuclear crisis, such as the elimination of radiation dispersal and relief for the more than 200,000 evacuees. Municipalities hosting nuclear plants throughout Japan have to drastically review their disaster prevention measures.

In order to tackle these tasks, the state government needs to strengthen the NSC’s functions and mobilize the full efforts of nuclear energy experts.