First research reactor to restart soon

March 19, 2017

First research reactor to restart in April

https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20170318_10

A laboratory at a university in western Japan will restart its research nuclear reactor in April after meeting safety standards.

It will be the first research reactor in Japan to go back online under stringent regulations introduced by the government in the wake of the 2011 Fukushima Daiichi nuclear accident.

Kindai University in Higashi-Osaka said on Friday that the reactor has passed a series of checks by Japan's nuclear regulator.

The Nuclear Regulation Authority gave in-principle approval for the restart of the reactor in May last year. The university subsequently made further adjustments to protect against fire, tornados and other risks.
The small reactor has a maximum output of just 1 watt, and is used exclusively for academic purposes.

The head of the university laboratory, Tetsuo Ito, said he will do his best to ensure students and researchers can use it as soon as possible.