The 19th FNCA study panel, March 23, 2018

Basic Policy for Nuclear Energy
andWhite Paper on Nuclear Energy

Yoshiaki OKAChairman
Japan Atomic Energy Commission (JAEC)
1

Contents
Basic Policy for Nuclear Energy
Collaboration Program of Nuclear Power
related Organizations
Building infrastructure for communication
Public communication/stakeholder dialog
White Paper on Nuclear Energy

2Basic Policy for Nuclear Energy
 First policy paper on nuclear energy after the TEPCO Fukushima accident,
characterized as:

An articulation of policy directions and ultimate goals
for cross-cutting issues of overall nuclear policy
Guideposts for JAEC itself and the relevant government
ministries, agencies in performing their respective roles
and responsibilities
An indication of long-term policy directions,
incorporating a wide variety of viewpoints surrounding
nuclear energy
It is to be reviewed, as necessary, basically every five
years or so3

Changing Environment Surrounding Nuclear Energy
Impact of the Fukushima Accident
 Essential to sincerely face up to the public distrust and anxiety about nuclear
energy and rebuild social confidence.

Environment surrounding nuclear energy use With full liberalization of the retail electricity market, it is pointed out that thenew competitive electric power business has made it difficult to make reliableprediction about the future of nuclear power business.

Environment surrounding the global warming issue
 Japan’s INDC intend to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 26.0% relative to theFY2013 level by FY2030.

Energy issues that affect the livelihood and economic activities
 Increased use of existing thermal power stations and introduction of a feed-intariff (FIT) system for renewable energy have led to electricity tariffs higher.
 The rise in electricity tariffs has had a major negative impacts on people’slivelihood and economic activities.

4ElectricityTariffs and Fuel cost
我が国の電気料金及び燃料費の推移
 After the Fukushima accident, electricity tariffs raised by about 30% for industry and by
about 20% for household.
 Fuel cost increased by $90 billion due to higher dependency on thermal power generation
as a result of the suspension of nuclear power generation after the Fukushima accident.
(¥/kWh)electricity tariffs in Japan

Fuel Cost of Japanese Electric(¥ trillion)
Power Companies

Household
AverageIndustry

2016*(*estimated record)(FY)
Source: Energy Annual Report 2015

FY2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015

Thermal(％） 61.7

78.9 88.3

88.3 87.8 84.6

Source： Federation of Electric Power Companies of Japan
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Fundamental Issues Ingrained in Nuclear
Energy-related Organizations
 National culture is embedded in values and social
structures and affects the work methods ofindividuals and the activities of organizations.
The unique mindset and groupthink in Japan, thepressure to conform tacitly or forcibly to theopinion of the majority, and the tendency tomaintain the status quo are all very strong, andthey can be a problem.
As a result of the sub-optimization of information
sharing in terms of the contents and scope, Truly
needed information does not get appropriately
shared.
Recognizing those characteristics, nuclear energyrelated organizations have to take drastic steps toimprove their way of conducting their works.
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Basic Objectives of Nuclear Energy Use
Appropriate use of nuclear energy is necessary, while
thorough risk-management by responsible regime isprecondition.
1. Fukushima Accident: Seriously reflect on the accident andlessons learned.
2. Nuclear energy, addressing global warming issues and people’s
livelihood and the economy
3. Nuclear energy in the global context
4. Peaceful use of nuclear energy: enhancing non-proliferation andsecurity regimes
5. Rebuilding public trust, as a major precondition
6. Steadily pursuing decommissioning and radioactive waste
disposal
7. Improving quality of life through the use of radiation andradioactive isotopes
8. Strengthening the foundations for the use of nuclear energy7Important initiatives and directions

Continuous improvement of safety
Economic and safety improvement coexist in USA by
voluntary safety management and improvement ofregulation
US nuclear power generation increased 50% and reactor accidents
decreased 1/30th after 10 years from the TMI accident.

2014

02012

02010

20

0.13
0.10
0.10 0.10
0.08
0.07 0.07
0.07
0.05
0.04
0.04 0.05 0.04
0.03
0.03
0.03
0.02
0.02
0.01
2008

100

2006

40

0.26
0.25
0.21
0.17

2004

200

60

2002

300

80

0.45
0.40

2000

100
400

1998

1201996

527

1994

500

140

0.77

1992

1607006001801990

8000.90

1988

Power generation GｋWh797

Significant Events perPlant

2009008

Collaboration Program of Nuclear Energy
related Organizations

Vision： Improvement of Knowledge & Technology Base
Deepening Public and Experts’ Understanding
Improvement of R&D Management
Collaboration Council（InformationSharing)(JAEC FEPC JEMA JAEA)

Ministries &Agencies（Budget ＆ Information Sharing)

Ｐｌａｔｆｏｒｍ（Ｉｎｆｏｒｍａｔｉｏｎ Ｓｈａｒｉｎｇ ＆ Ｏｐｅｒａｔｉｏｎ）
Long-term Use& Safety of LWRs

Severe Accident &Disaster Prevention

Decommissioning &Radioactive Waste9

Increasing public information with evidence in Japanese
Information layersSimple andeasy-tofollow general
information

Layer 1
Information forgeneral publicPublicMedia
accessExplanation
with common
scientificbasis

Summaryreports,
Text books,
trainingmaterials
Research
papers,scientificreports

Layer 2
Bridging
information

Communicator
R&D organizations
Government

Increasing
publicunderstandingof nuclear
energyaccessSpecialists
Layer 3
Information forexperts

Layer 4
Scientific basis
Objective facts

knowledge-based Information network

public communication

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Providing Public with Policy Information
It is common to provide public with easy-tounderstand information regarding nuclear
energy policies in the U.S. and the UK.
Such sufficient effort has been not made inJapan.
JAEC has published explanation for public onutilization of plutonium in Japan. (note)Each ministry and agency in Japan is also
expected to provide policy information on HPetc.
[note] “Plutonium Utilization in Japan” is posted on the JAEC’s website:
http://www.aec.go.jp/jicst/NC/about/kettei/kettei171003_e.pdf
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Public communication• Informing the public (push-type activities) does
not necessarily promote their understanding.
• Preparing knowledge-based information andevidence-based policy information and makingthem available to the public constitute theinfrastructure for communication.
• Stakeholder* dialog/engagement (pull-typeactivities) is necessary. It has been conducted in
UK for geological disposal facility siting and in
USA for environmental clean-up of legacy
facilities for nuclear weapon production.
• Learning the lessons will promote ourunderstanding of the complex, multi-disciplinary
characteristics of the communication.
*Stakeholder: a person, group or organization that has interest or concern. 12

Science/nuclear communication in UK
Long history of Science Communication in UK, but UK government
failed in public communication at BSE disease.
1. UK government science advisory system: a Chief Scientific Advisor
and Chief Scientific Advisors in each government department.
2. Scientific Advisory Group in Emergencies (SAGE): a system for being
able to advise government using scientific information in emergencies.
3. sciencewise: UK national center for public dialog in policy making
involving science and technology
4. British Science Association (ref.1)
5. Science Media Centre: Independent organization for the promotionof more expert information at times when science is under attack in
the headlines.
6. Nuclear Industry Council: A partnership between the UKgovernment and the nuclear industry. Published a report on nuclear
energy and public engagement, ” In the Public Eye”
7. Public/stakeholder dialog, ex. Geologic disposal facility siting (ref2).
ref.1: Katherine Mathieson, “What do we know about public attitudes & public engagement about nuclear?
http://www.aec.go.jp/jicst/NC/iinkai/teirei/siryo2018/siryo09/ssiryo1-1-1.pdf
ref.2: Steve J. Robinson, “ Public and Stakeholder Dialog”,
http://www.aec.go.jp/jicst/NC/iinkai/teirei/siryo2018/siryo09/ssiryo1-1-2.pdf
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Stakeholder dialog/engagement• Building trust is the purpose of communication• Key for building trust: Respect to participants,
openness and transparency, professionalism,listening, honesty, integrity etc.
• Best practices are find stakeholders by interests,
listening, build on common ground, early dialog,
send staff responsible, use Joint fact-finding (Agreewho provides facts & how facts are found. Do not
try to inform facts first/directly.)• Skills will be developed by facilitation training.
Source: Steve Robinson, UK Japan Stakeholder Dialog & Engagement
Workshop, British Embassy Tokyo, Feb. 201414Be aware of psychological effects of messages ofnuclear safety/risk• “What’s is being done to ensure an accident like Fukushima can neverhappen again?” Use of such language is not entirely restricted to thenuclear industry.
• No other industry talks about an accident ‘never being allowed tohappen again'. In speaking so much and in such a way about safety implying that absolute safety is both possible and necessary.
• The response of BP to the enormous deepwater Horizon oil spill in 2010,
for example, seems to have been subtly different.
• “BP is doing everything within its power to learn from this horrible spill
so that it is unlikely to ever happen again, and if it does, so they will beable to respond more quickly and effectively next time.”• Human or psychological rationality is different but not inferior to‘technical’ rationality. All communication should put psychologicalrationality first.
Ref.: Malcom Grimston, “The Paralysis in Energy Decision Making”,
Whittles Publishing, 2016, chapter 11“Public understanding nuclear energy, It’s not (just) about the science”,
http://www.jaif.or.jp/cms_admin/wpcontent/uploads/understanding/annual/47th/47-s1_grimston-e.pdf• Be aware of psychological effects of risk communication.
• Communication is not necessarily risk-communication.
• Communicate by interest of the focus group.

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White Paper on Nuclear Energy 2016
Published for the first time since March 2010
Describing the overall picture of nuclear
energy use, including the government’s
efforts based on the lessons learned from theFukushima accident
Plan to publish annually
Chapter 1 Response to the TEPCO Fukushima Daiichi
NPP accident and efforts for recovery andreconstruction of Fukushima
Chapter 2 Basic activities for the use of nuclear energy
Chapter 3 The use of nuclear energy and radiation
Chapter 4 Research and development of nuclear energy
Chapter 5 International cooperation
Reference: http://www.aec.go.jp/jicst/NC/about/hakusho/index_e.htm

16Thank You17