NRA warns about Monju failings

 November 6, 2013

Regulators warn Monju operator over breach of nuclear security rules

http://mainichi.jp/english/english/newsselect/news/20131106p2g00m0dm056000c.html

TOKYO (Kyodo) -- The Nuclear Regulation Authority on Wednesday admonished the operator of the Monju prototype fast-breeder reactor for failing to take appropriate measures to protect nuclear material from possible terrorist attacks and other malicious acts.

The rebuke is another black mark against the Japan Atomic Energy Agency, previously criticized by the NRA over a massive number of equipment inspection failures at Monju.

According to the NRA, some fences to restrict access to certain areas were about 30 centimeters lower than stipulated in the JAEA's rules and regular checkups of equipment to ensure nuclear security, such as cameras, were not conducted appropriately.

The operator also allowed visitors inside areas where nuclear material exists without taking copies of their identifications, which was another breach of the rules.

"We must say that people (in charge of the issue) lacked awareness of nuclear security," the NRA said in its report.

During a meeting Wednesday, NRA commissioners expressed disappointment over the JAEA's behavior, noting that Monju is a facility that requires special attention in terms of nuclear security. The fuel for Monju contains plutonium, a material used in nuclear weapons.

"It is unprecedented. Why did breaches happen at this most important Monju facility?" Toyoshi Fuketa, one of the commissioners, said.

NRA Chairman Shunichi Tanaka also said, "I hope this incident will not develop into an international issue."

"The international society is very nervous about nuclear terrorism...So it will be a trouble if Japan becomes loose about such issues," Tanaka told a press conference later in the day.

The Monju reactor is not operating because it was effectively banned from operation in May following the revelation of lax safety inspections.

But even before that, Monju remained largely offline since first achieving criticality in 1994, due to a leakage of sodium coolant and other subsequent problems.

Over 1 trillion yen has been spent on the Monju project, with Japan hoping it would play a key role in a nuclear fuel recycling policy that aimed at reprocessing spent nuclear fuel and reusing the extracted plutonium and uranium as reactor fuel.

NRA warns operator of Monju

http://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/english/news/20131106_25.html

Japan's nuclear regulatory body on Wednesday warned the operator of the fast-breeder reactor Monju on the Sea of Japan coast that its anti-terrorism measures are insufficient.

Government inspectors pointed out in July that the Japan Atomic Energy Agency violated 4 anti-terrorism requirements for the protection of nuclear material.

The violations included the lack of background checks on visitors to Monju, and the lack of regular inspections over the past 3 years of a device that records vehicle and personnel entry into the compound.

On Wednesday members of the Nuclear Regulation Authority said that such neglect at a plutonium handling facility is unprecedented.
The authority said that the poor system to protect nuclear material is due to the organization of the Japan Atomic Energy Agency.

It demanded that the agency draw up measures to prevent a recurrence.

In May the nuclear regulatory body ordered the agency not to prepare for a test run of Monju until measures are in place to prevent equipment inspection errors.

About 14,000 pieces of equipment at Monju had not been inspected.

Nov. 6, 2013 - Updated 07:18 UTC