Nuclear Safety Commission of Japan

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The Nuclear Safety Commission of Japan (NSC, English for " Nuclear Safety Commission of Japan "; Jap. 原子 力 安全 委員会 , genshiryoku anzen iinkai , lit. "Atomic Energy Safety Commission ") was a body of scientists who supported the Japanese government in matters of the safety of nuclear facilities advised. The commission was set up in 1978 and consisted of five experts from the fields of reactor technology and radiation biology , each appointed by the Japanese Prime Minister ; she was also able to fall back on around 35 other nuclear safety experts. The NSC's office was located in the No. 4 Central Government Building in the Ministry District of Kasumigaseki , Chiyoda , Tokyo .

The commission was dissolved on September 19, 2012 and replaced by Genshiryoku Kisei Iinkai .

history

In 1955, the Japanese government passed the Japanese Atomic Energy Act ( 原子 力 基本法 ) with the aim of promoting the peaceful use of nuclear energy in Japan, as well as the "Act to Establish the Atomic Energy Commission and the Atomic Energy Safety Commission" (Japanese 原子 力 委員会 及 び 原子 力 安全 委員会 設置法 , genshiryoku iinkai oyobi genshiryoku anzen iinkai setchi hō ). In 1956, the Japan Atomic Energy Commission (JAEC, English for 原子 力 委員会 , genshiryoku iinkai , "Atomic Energy Commission") was set up on the basis of the latter law . Since then, the task of JAEC has been to develop guidelines for the use of nuclear energy in Japan and to continue to pursue the objectives set.

In 1978, the Nuclear Safety Commission was spun off from the JAEC as an independent institution, in order to be able to act as a supervisory body in contrast to the JAEC, which was oriented towards promoting nuclear energy. Both commissions are organized similarly and were assigned to the Science and Technology Authority .

In 1981 the NSC published its first nuclear safety report.

As part of the reorganization of the Japanese government , the two commissions were first assigned to the Prime Minister's office in 2000 and then to the cabinet office in 2001 , while the authority for science and technology was absorbed into the new Ministry of Culture and Technology (MEXT).

activity

The tasks of the NSC include monitoring the Japanese nuclear regulatory authority and the MEXT and advising them on safety issues, as well as establishing safety guidelines for nuclear facilities and for radiation protection . The NSC also analyzes nuclear accidents and advises the Japanese Prime Minister on nuclear emergencies. It is certified according to ISO 9001 .

On the basis of data from the Kobe earthquake in 1995 , the commission revised the guidelines for the seismic protection of Japanese nuclear power plants in 2006. In 2007, the seismologist Katsuhiko Ishibashi , professor at Kobe University , criticized these guidelines and questioned the independence of the NSC. An investigation by the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) in 2011 showed that the guidelines are abstract, non-verifiable and non-binding.

Fukushima nuclear disaster

During the Fukushima nuclear disaster , the NSC published regular reports on radiation exposure in the vicinity of the power plant. It also estimated the total release of radioactive substances (→ see radiation exposure from the nuclear accidents in Fukushima ), which the Japanese nuclear regulatory authority used as a comparative value when classifying the series of accidents at level 7 (“catastrophic accident”) on the international scale for nuclear incidents .

From March 11, 2011, the commission calculated the radioactive contamination to be expected in the vicinity of the damaged Fukushima-Daiichi nuclear power plant using computer models , but kept the results under lock and key together with the Japanese government in order to avoid panic among the population. This has been publicly criticized several times. The NSC did not publish the data on its website until May 2, 2011 after Toshiso Kosako , Prime Minister Naoto Kan's special scientific adviser on the nuclear crisis, resigned in protest over the state's crisis management.

The NSC has also been criticized for not sending any of its experts to the power plant as consultants.

As a result of the accidents, Chairman Haruki Madarame , professor of engineering ( fluid and thermal ) at the University of Tokyo , found that the NRC's safety guidelines were insufficient. They declare a prolonged blackout - one of the main causes of the Fukushima disaster - to be negligible.

Therefore, the Commission and the Japanese Atomic Energy Agency were dissolved on September 19, 2012 and replaced by Genshiryoku Kisei Iinkai .

See also

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ The NSC Development History ( English , PDF) Nuclear Safety Commission of Japan. Archived from the original on May 3, 2011. Retrieved May 4, 2011.
  2. ↑ a b Japan nuclear commission fails to send experts to Fukushima ( English ) Kyodo News. April 16, 2011. Archived from the original on April 16, 2011. Retrieved on April 16, 2011.
  3. ↑ a b 原子 力 規 制 委 、 人事 は 横 滑 り 保安 院 と 安全 委 １９ 日 廃 止 . In: Asahi Shimbun . September 18, 2012, Retrieved September 22, 2012 (Japanese).
  4. ↑ a b The Mission ( English ) Japan Atomic Energy Commission. Archived from the original on May 4, 2011. Retrieved May 4, 2011.
  5. ↑ 原子 力 委員会 及 び 原子 力 安全 委員会 設置 法 ( Japanese ) In: e-gov ( ī-gabu ), law database . 1955, last amended in 1989. Archived from the original on May 4, 2011. Retrieved on May 4, 2011.
  6. ↑ Administrative Structure of Nuclear Regulation in Japan ( English , PDF) Nuclear Safety Commission of Japan. Archived from the original on May 4, 2011. Retrieved May 4, 2011.
  7. ↑ a b NSC’s Activities ( English , PDF) Nuclear Safety Commission of Japan. Archived from the original on May 3, 2011. Retrieved May 4, 2011.
  8. ↑ Science and Technology in Japan (PDF; 183 kB) Embassy of Japan in Germany. June / July 2006. Retrieved May 4, 2011.
  9. ↑ Why Worry? Japan's Nuclear Plants at Grave Risk From Quake Damage ( English ) The Asia Pacific Journal. August 11, 2007. Archived from the original on May 4, 2011. Retrieved on May 4, 2011.
  10. ↑ Mission Report: The Great East Japan Earthquake Expert Mission ( memento from June 26, 2011 on WebCite ) (English, PDF file; 2.67 MB). IAEA, June 16, 2011, accessed on June 25, 2011: "NSC guidelines are not legally binding ... The guidance provided in 2006 as part of the Seismic Safety Guidelines, does not contain any concrete criteria or methodology that could be used in re- evaluation. "
  11. ↑ Evaluation of Environment Radiation Monitoring Results ( English ) Nuclear Safety Commission of Japan. Archived from the original on May 3, 2011. Retrieved May 4, 2011.
  12. ^ INES (the International Nuclear and Radiological Event Scale) Rating on the Events in Fukushima Dai-ichi Nuclear Power Station by the Tohoku District - off the Pacific Ocean Earthquake ( English , PDF) Japanese Nuclear Regulatory Authority (NISA). April 12, 2011. Archived from the original on April 12, 2011. Retrieved on April 12, 2011.
  13. ↑ a b Earthquake News - JAIF, No. 42: 20:00, April 4 ( English , PDF; 145 kB) Japan Atomic Industrial Forum. April 4, 2011. Archived from the original on April 23, 2011. Retrieved on April 23, 2011: "Govt did not reveal high level radiation estimate"
  14. ↑ a b Earthquake News - JAIF, No. 70 ( English , PDF; 193 kB) Japan Atomic Industrial Forum. May 3, 2011. Archived from the original on May 3, 2011. Retrieved on May 3, 2011.
  15. ^ A b Cabinet nuclear advisor resigns in protest over government response to plant crisis . The Mainichi Daily News. April 30, 2011. Archived from the original on May 3, 2011. Retrieved on May 2, 2011.
  16. ↑ 文 部 科学 省 緊急 時 迅速 放射 能 影響 予 測 ネ ッ ト ワ ー ク シ ス テ ム （SPEEDI） に よ る 計算 結果 ( Japanese ) Nuclear Safety Commission of Japan. May 2, 2011. Archived from the original on May 3, 2011. Retrieved on May 4, 2011.
  17. ↑ Earthquake News - JAIF, No. 121 ( English , PDF; 99 kB) Japan Atomic Industrial Forum. June 23, 2011. Archived from the original on June 23, 2011. Retrieved on May 3, 2011.