IAEA International Conference in Fukushima: Many problems remain

December 15, 2012

High-level int'l conference on nuclear safety starts in Fukushima

http://mainichi.jp/english/english/newsselect/news/20121215p2g00m0dm026000c.html

KORIYAMA, Japan (Kyodo) -- A high-level international conference on nuclear safety started Saturday in Japan's northeastern prefecture of Fukushima, with participants expected to affirm that safety is a prerequisite for using nuclear power and assisting human resources development for countries seeking the energy option is vital.

The three-day event, organized by the Japanese government and the International Atomic Energy Agency, is meant to share the lessons learned from the Fukushima Daiichi plant disaster last year and to discuss the progress in global efforts to strengthen nuclear safety.

The conference, held in the city of Koriyama, brings together officials of IAEA member states, many of whom are represented at the ministerial level, and relevant international organizations.

An outcome document is expected to be issued following Saturday's plenary session.

According to a draft document obtained earlier, participants are expected to stress that there should be no complacency in safety matters, while welcoming the progress seen in the implementation of the IAEA Action Plan on Nuclear Safety, which calls on members to undertake safety assessments of nuclear plants and reinforce the effectiveness of regulatory bodies.

With nuclear power remaining a key source of energy for many nations, including developing ones, even after the Fukushima crisis, the importance of helping member states embarking on nuclear power programs in their development of infrastructure and human resources would also be emphasized.

The draft also showed that Japan, as a country that experienced the world's worst nuclear crisis since the 1986 Chernobyl disaster, would be encouraged to continue to share information on the lessons learned from the crisis, on the progress in decommissioning the crippled reactors and cleaning the radiation-contaminated land.

During the crisis triggered on March 11, 2011, Japan revealed how ill-prepared it was against tsunami-induced severe accidents, seeing three reactors at the plant suffer core meltdowns after they lost their key cooling functions amid a loss of all electrical power.

Around 160,000 people whose homes are in Fukushima Prefecture still live as evacuees due to the accident, which took nine months for the government to declare that the plant has been brought under control.

Regretting that safety may have been neglected under the regulatory setup that allowed promoters and regulators to have cozy ties, the Japanese government launched in September this year a new independent nuclear watchdog.

IAEA chief says Fukushima plant in better state, but problems remain

http://mainichi.jp/english/english/newsselect/news/20121215p2g00m0dm024000c.html

FUKUSHIMA, Japan (Kyodo) -- Visiting International Atomic Energy Agency chief Yukiya Amano said Friday the situation of the crippled Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant has "improved a lot," but noted many issues remain to be dealt with.

Amano, who is in Japan to attend a high-level conference on nuclear safety starting Saturday in Fukushima Prefecture, made the remarks after visiting the plant for the second time following the nuclear crisis, triggered by a huge earthquake and tsunami on March 11, 2011.

"I was able to see the site only wearing a mask and gloves, without protective clothing," the IAEA director general told reporters after touring the plant for about 90 minutes with around 30 people, including those who plan to attend the upcoming conference.

But he also said there are still some areas where the radiation level is "extremely high" and pointed to the "tremendous number" of tanks that contain contaminated water as a result of continuing injection of coolant into the stricken reactors.

Allison Macfarlane, chairwoman of the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Committee who visited the plant a day earlier, said in a statement that her country is "committed to working with Japan and other international partners to ensure long-term sustainability in the nuclear safety enhancements made since the accident."

As for the lessons learned from the disaster, she pointed to the importance of having an independent regulator which operates in a transparent manner, the need to put in place measures for preventing and mitigating serious nuclear accidents, and the significance of global cooperation for sharing experiences to reinforce nuclear safety worldwide.

In the crisis, Japan revealed how ill-prepared it was against tsunami-induced severe accidents, seeing three reactors at the plant suffer core meltdowns after they lost their key cooling functions amid a loss of all electrical power.