JOINT CONVENTION
ON THE SAFETY OF SPENT FUEL MANAGEMENT AND
ON THE SAFETY OF RADIOACTIVE WASTE MANAGEMENT

October 2020
Cabinet Office
Ministry of Foreign Affairs
Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology
Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare
Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry
Ministry of the Environment
Nuclear Regulation Authority

Table of Contents
Abbreviations and Acronyms................................................................................................... 1
Section A

Introduction.......................................................................................................... 3

A-1

Current Status of Nuclear Facilities in Japan .......................................................... 3

A-2

Efforts Concerning the Safety of Spent Fuel Management and Radioactive

Waste Management................................................................................................................ 4
A-3

Current Status of TEPCO Fukushima Daiichi NPS ................................................ 6

A-4

Preparation of the Report ......................................................................................... 10

A-5

Overview Matrix ....................................................................................................... 12

Section B

Policies and Practices ........................................................................................ 13

B-1

Spent Fuel Management Policy ............................................................................... 13

B-2

Spent Fuel Management Practices .......................................................................... 14

B-3

Radioactive Waste Management Policy ................................................................. 16

B-4

Radioactive Waste Management Practices ............................................................ 18

B-5

Criteria Used to Define and Categorize Radioactive Waste ............................... 19

Section C

Scope of Application ......................................................................................... 20

Section D

Inventories and Lists ......................................................................................... 21

D-1

List of Spent Fuel Management Facilities .............................................................. 21

D-2

Inventories of Spent Fuel ......................................................................................... 22

D-3

List of Radioactive Waste Management Facilities ................................................ 22

D-4

Inventories of Radioactive Waste ........................................................................... 23

D-5

Nuclear Facilities under Decommissioning .......................................................... 24

Section E

Legislative and Regulatory System................................................................. 27

E-1

Implementing Measures .......................................................................................... 27

E-2

Legislative Framework in Japan ............................................................................. 29

E-3

Regulatory Body........................................................................................................ 43

Section F

Other General Safety Provisions ..................................................................... 53

F-1

Responsibility of the License Holder...................................................................... 55

F-2

Human and Financial Resources ............................................................................ 58

F-3

Quality Assurance ..................................................................................................... 61

F-4

Operational Radiation Protection ........................................................................... 64

F-5

Emergency Preparedness ......................................................................................... 75

F-6

Decommissioning...................................................................................................... 95

Section G

Safety of Spent Fuel Management................................................................... 98

G-1

General Safety Requirements ................................................................................ 101

G-2

Existing Facilities..................................................................................................... 105

G-3

Permit of Business ................................................................................................... 109

G-4

Design and Construction of Facilities .................................................................. 112

G-5

Assessment of Safety of Facilities ......................................................................... 115

G-6

Operation of Facilities............................................................................................. 118

G-7

Disposal of Spent Fuel ............................................................................................ 125

Section H

Safety of Radioactive Waste Management................................................... 126

H-1

General Safety Requirements ................................................................................ 130

H-2

Existing Facilities and Past Practices .................................................................... 134

H-3

Permit of Business ................................................................................................... 137

H-4

Design and Construction of Facilities .................................................................. 140

H-5

Assessment of Safety of Facilities ......................................................................... 143

H-6

Operation of Facilities............................................................................................. 145

H-7

Institutional Measures after Closure .................................................................... 157

Section I Transboundary Movement ................................................................................ 158
I-1

Transboundary Movement .................................................................................... 159

I-2

Prohibition of Shipment to a Destination South of Latitude 60 Degrees South ...
................................................................................................................................... 160

Section J Disused Sealed Sources ...................................................................................... 161
J-1

Regulatory Framework for Sealed Sources ......................................................... 161

J-2

Management of Radioactive Sources ................................................................... 161

J-3

Reentry of Returning Sealed Sources ................................................................... 164

Section K

Planned Activities to Improve Safety ........................................................... 165

K-1

General Efforts to Improve Safety during Reporting Period ............................ 165

K-2

Response to the Challenges Identified in the 6th Review Meeting.................. 170

K-3

Overarching Issues Identified in the Final Report of the 6th Review Meeting ....
................................................................................................................................... 174

K-4

Overview on the IRRS Follow-Up Mission ......................................................... 175

Section L

ANNEXES......................................................................................................... 177

L-1

Inventory of Spent Fuel .......................................................................................... 178

L-2

Inventory of Radioactive Waste ............................................................................ 179

L-3

List of Spent Fuel Management Facilities and Radioactive Waste Management
Facilities ................................................................................................................... 188

L-4

Major Nuclear Reactors under Decommissioning ............................................. 197

Abbreviations and Acronyms
Abbreviation or Acronym

Expanded or Original Term

AL

Alert

ALARA

As Low As Reasonably Achievable

ALPS

Advanced Liquid Processing System

CAO

Cabinet OfficeCat-1 Waste Disposal

Category 1 radioactive Waste Disposal (geological disposal)

Cat-2 Waste Disposal

Category 2 radioactive Waste Disposal (intermediate depth disposal
and near surface disposal)

CNO

Chief Nuclear Officer

DPC

Dual Purpose Cask

DRZ

Difficult-to-Return Zone

EAL

Emergency Action Level

EPR

Emergency Preparedness and Response

Final Disposal Act

Designated Radioactive Waste Final Disposal Act

GE

General Emergency

GSR Part 3

General Safety Requirements Part 3

HLWHigh Level radioactive Waste

HR

Human Resources

IAEA

International Atomic Energy Agency

ICSA

Intensive Contamination Survey Area

IRMIS

International Radiation Monitoring Information System

IRRS

Integrated Regulatory Review Service

INES

International Nuclear and Radiological Event Scale

ISF

Interim Storage Facility

JAEA

Japan Atomic Energy Agency

JANSI

Japan Nuclear Safety Institute

JAPCO

Japan Atomic Power Company

JNES

Japan Nuclear Energy Safety Organization

JNFL

Japan Nuclear Fuel Ltd.

JPDRJapan Power Demonstration Reactor

LLW

Low Level radioactive Waste

LWR

Light Water Reactor

METI

Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry

MEXT

Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology

MHLW

Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare

MOE

Ministry of the Environment

MOFA

Ministry of Foreign Affairs

MTU

Metric Ton of Uranium

1Abbreviation or Acronym

Expanded or Original Term

Notification on Doses

Notification to Establish Dose Limits in Accordance with the Provisionsof the NRA Ordinance on Activity of Refining Nuclear Source or
Nuclear Fuel Materials, etc.

NPP

Nuclear Power Plant

NPS

Nuclear Power Station

NRA

Nuclear Regulation Authority

NRA EPR Guide
Nuclear Emergency Act

NRA Guide for Emergency Preparedness and Response
Act on Special Measures Concerning Nuclear Emergency Preparedness

NUMO

Nuclear Waste Management Organization of Japan

OIL

Operational Intervention Level

PAZ

Precautionary Action Zone

Pharmaceuticals andMedical Devices Act

The Law on Securing Quality, Efficacy and Safety of Products
including Pharmaceuticals and Medical Devices

Radiation Hazards
Prevention Act

Act on Prevention of Radiation Hazards due to Radioisotopes, etc.
(renamed to the RI Regulation Act in 2019)RANET

IAEA Response Assistance Network

Reactor Regulation Act

Act on the Regulation of Nuclear Source Material, Nuclear Fuel
Material and Reactors

RFS

Recyclable-Fuel Storage Company

RI Regulation Act

Act on the Regulation of Radioisotopes

SE
SRRB

Site Area Emergency
Specified Reconstruction and Revitalization BaseTEPCOTokyo Electric Power Company Holdings, Inc.

TRU waste

Trans-Uranic waste

UPZ

Urgent Protective action planning Zone

USIE

United System for Information Exchange in Incidents and Emergencies

WAC

Waste Acceptance Criteria

2Section A Introduction
A-1

Current Status of Nuclear Facilities in Japan

Japan has the following types of nuclear facilities according to the definition provided
in Article 2 of the Joint Convention as of the end of March 2020: nuclear power reactors,
research reactors, nuclear fuel processing facilities for uranium enrichment or fuelfabrication, spent fuel interim storage facilities, spent fuel reprocessing facilities,
radioactive waste interim storage facilities, radioactive waste disposal facilities, facilities
which use more than a certain quantity of uranium or other nuclear fuel material, andfacilities for handling radioisotopes. Among the above, spent fuel interim storage
facilities and spent fuel reprocessing facilities correspond to “spent fuel management
facility,” and radioactive waste interim storage facilities and radioactive waste disposal
facilities correspond to “radioactive waste management facility” defined in theConvention.
In Japan, 62 power reactors have been granted Reactor Installation Permits based on the
Act on the Regulation of Nuclear Source Material, Nuclear Fuel Material and Reactors,
hereinafter referred to as the Reactor Regulation Act, and 15 units among them are underdecommissioning having obtained Approval of Decommissioning Plans pursuant to theAct. As for research reactors, 10 of 22 licensed units are under decommissioning having
obtained Approval of Decommissioning Plans pursuant to the Act.
There are 6 nuclear fuel processing facilities and 1 spent fuel interim storage facility thathave been licensed. One of the 2 licensed reprocessing facilities is underdecommissioning having obtained Approval of Decommissioning Plan pursuant to theAct.
Also, 2 radioactive waste interim storage facilities and 3 radioactive waste disposal
facilities have been licensed.
209 facilities which use more than a certain quantity of uranium or other nuclear fuelmaterial have been granted permission for nuclear fuel material use.
Under the Act on the Regulation of Radioisotopes, hereinafter referred to as the RI
Regulation Act, which was renamed from the Act on Prevention of Radiation Hazards
due to Radioisotopes, etc. in September 2019, 8,011 business sites that handle radiation
3

sources (referred to as “radioisotopes” according to the description in the Act) arelicensed or registered.

A-2 Efforts Concerning the Safety of Spent Fuel Management andRadioactive Waste Management
The Nuclear Regulation Authority (NRA) developed the new regulatory requirements
which reflected the lessons learned from the accident at the Tokyo Electric Power
Company’s (TEPCO) Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Station (NPS) and enforced
those for commercial power reactors in July 2013, and those for nuclear fuel cycle
facilities including "spent fuel management facilities" and "radioactive waste
management facilities" defined in this Convention in December 2013.
Nuclear fuel cycle facilities have variety of structures and handle various types ofnuclear material. Regulatory requirements are established for each type of facility, taking
into account features specific to the facility type. Licensees shall comply with the "new"regulatory requirements specified in the Reactor Regulation Act, for their facilities which
already received the permission prior to the enforcement of these requirements.
Therefore, in order to resume operation of nuclear facilities except operating waste
disposal facility, licensees shall obtain:•

Permit for the amendment of Existing Permit;•

Approval of Design and Construction Plan; and•Approval of Operational Safety Program

through conformity review to the regulatory requirements newly set by the NRA. The
NRA has received the applications for conformity review of, 27 nuclear power reactors,
8 research reactors, 6 nuclear fuel processing facilities, 1 spent fuel interim storage
facility, 1 reprocessing facility, 2 radioactive waste interim storage facilities, and 2
radioactive waste disposal facilities.
Among the above,•

Unit 1 and 2 at the Kyushu Electric Power Company Sendai Nuclear Power Station;•

Unit 3 and 4 at the Kyushu Electric Power Company Genkai Nuclear Power Station;•

Unit 3 and 4 at the Kansai Electric Power Company Takahama Power Station;•

Unit 3 and 4 at the Kansai Electric Power Company Ōi Power Station; and•Unit 3 at the Shikoku Electric Power Company Ikata Power Station
4

completed the conformity review and the pre-service inspections, and have been incommercial operation. Furthermore, 1 reprocessing facility, 5 nuclear fuel processing
facilities, 7 research reactors, 2 radioactive waste interim storage facilities, have obtained
the permission for the amendment of the existing permits, as of July 2020.
The NRA has continued to make efforts to improve regulatory requirements, forexample by adopting state-of-the-art knowledge, even after the new regulatory
requirements were established, and also has continued to address regulatory challenges
including the reform of inspection system.
Based on the recommendations and suggestions made by the International Atomic
Emergency Agency’s Integrated Regulatory Review Service (IAEA’s IRRS) mission
which took place in January 2016, the NRA revised the Reactor Regulation Act and theRadiation Hazards Prevention Act renamed to the RI Regulation Act in 2019. By theserevisions, the following improvements were introduced into the regulatory system:(1) the reform of the inspection system for nuclear facilities;(2) the requirement of consideration on decommissioning at an earlier stage indesigning;(3) the restriction of activities including excavation at intermediate depth andgeological disposal site; and(4) the streamlining of disposition for radioactive waste containing or contaminated by
nuclear materials and radio-isotopes.
The new inspection system has been implemented since April 2020, and details about
the inspection of spent fuel management facilities and radioactive waste management
facilities are reported in Section G, H and K.
The major accomplishments done by the NRA since the last national report regarding
the safety for spent fuel management and radioactive waste management are therevision of regulation on clearance system reported in Section E and F, the revision ofregulation on near surface disposal reported in Section E, the revision of regulation on
dual purpose cask for transportation and storage reported in Section E and K.
Furthermore, the NRA has been making a study on regulatory framework forintermediate depth disposal for radioactive waste, e.g. core internals, whichradioactivity exceeds the concentration limit for pit disposal and on regulation for
uranium contaminated waste generated at facilities such as fuel fabrication facilities
reported in Section K. Also regarding spent fuel management, from the safety point of5view, the NRA recommends as its opinion to shift from pool storage to dry storage forspent fuel that has been cooled for a certain period of time. Along with this, in order toremove obstacles and to achieve reasonable regulation, the NRA has revised relevant
ordinances and guides, and in parallel the NRA's review process is ongoing for thetransition to dry storage at nuclear power plant (NPP) sites within the framework of theexisting regulation.

A-3 Current Status of TEPCO Fukushima Daiichi NPS
A-3-1 Efforts for Decommissioning of TEPCO Fukushima Daiichi NPSTEPCO Fukushima Daiichi NPS unit 1 to unit 6 are designated as specified nuclear
facility based on the Reactor Regulation Act, and they are regulated in accordance with
the Implementation Plan pursuant to the Act which describes measures for the safety
and protection of specified nuclear fuel materials.
Moreover, TEPCO is required to implement the measures for the decommissioning andtreatment of contaminated water based on the “Mid-and-Long-Term Roadmap
towards the Decommissioning of TEPCO Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power
Station” 1 decided by the "Inter-Ministerial Council for Contaminated Water andDecommissioning Issues." Most recently, the 5th revision was made in December 2019,
and the method of fuel debris retrieval was confirmed.
<Mid-and-Long-Term Roadmap

towards

theDecommissioningof

TEPCO’s

Fukushima Daiichi NPS>
https://www.meti.go.jp/english/earthquake/nuclear/decommissioning/pdf/20191227_
3.pdf
For the purpose of stable management of radioactive waste in TEPCO Fukushima
Daiichi NPS, with the long-term future decommissioning work in mind, the NRA
established the Committee on Radioactive Waste Issues of the Specified Nuclear
Facility in December 2015, and continued discussion from the viewpoint of safety
regulation. Taking into account the progress of the work for storage and managementof radioactive waste, the NRA made a decision in February 2019 to demolish theCommittee and integrate its function into the Committee on Supervision andMid-and-Long-Term Roadmap towards the Decommissioning of TEPCO Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear
Power Station http://www.meti.go.jp/english/earthquake/nuclear/decommissioning/index.html
16

Evaluation of the Specified Nuclear Facility, which was established in December 2012.
The decision is intended to implement the oversight and evaluation morecomprehensively and effectively.
TEPCO reported the Waste Management Plan for TEPCO Fukushima Daiichi NPS
which describes the storage policy of radioactive waste, the amount of radioactive solid
waste for the coming 10 years, and the installation policy of the radioactive waste
facility at the Committee on Radioactive Waste Issues of the Specified Nuclear Facilities
in March 2016, and has renewed it periodically about once a year.
According to the Waste Management Plan, TEPCO Fukushima Daiichi NPS has
rubbles, secondary waste generated from water treatment and radioactive solid wastethat has been stored in TEPCO Fukushima Daiichi NPS since before the accident on itssite premises. The rubbles are stored in the outdoor temporary storage area or solid
waste storage facilities depending on the surface dose rate, and the secondary waste
generated from water treatment is stored in temporary storage facilities.
There are currently many temporary waste storage areas across TEPCO Fukushima
Daiichi NPS premises. Approximately 450,000 m3 of rubble is temporarily stored in
outdoor temporary storage areas and approximately 22,000 m3 is stored in solid waste
storage facilities as of May 29, 2020. Approximately 1,300 used vessels andapproximately 3,500 High Integrity Containers of secondary waste generated fromwater treatment are temporarily stored in storage facilities as of June 4, 2020.
TEPCO plans to reduce the volume of rubbles and to store it indoors, and to eliminate
temporary storage areas outside of solid waste storage facilities by the end of FY 2028
to further reduce risk. To that end, solid waste incinerators have been installed asvolume reduction facilities. Volume reduction of combustibles through incineration
has started since the end of FY 2015 and an additional solid waste incinerator is being
built with an expected completion date in FY 2020. Facilities to reduce the volume of
metal and concrete are also expected to be completed in FY 2022. The 9th solid waste
storage facility was completed in FY 2017 and 2 more facilities are scheduled to be built
in the following years.
Secondary waste generated from contaminated water treatment will also be transferred
to indoor storage and temporary storage area will be reduced as much as possible. In
June 2019, TEPCO has started construction on a large waste storage facility with the
expected start of operation date in FY 2021 to store adsorption columns. When7

transferring the waste indoors, volume reduction treatment or stabilization treatment
will be explored and implemented according to the characteristics of the waste.
On the other hand, final treatment and disposal method for rubbles etc. and secondary
waste generated from water treatment has not been decided. To study the method andits safety, it is necessary to understand the characteristics of rubbles and waste.
Therefore, the first Radioactive Material Analysis and Research Facility is currently
under construction at the site and planned to operate from 2021.
Liquid radioactive waste, i.e. contaminated water, is being purified by multiple
purification

facilities

includingamulti-nuclide

removalsystem(ALPS).

Approximately 1.16 million m of treated water containing tritium, which cannot be
3

removed by these facilities and small amount of other nuclides, is being stored on sitepremises as of May 2020.
Appropriate treatment and storage of waste on site and the handling of treated waterthat contains tritium is a critical issue that needs to be addressed to facilitate progressin decommissioning and in contaminated water measures at TEPCO Fukushima
Daiichi NPS.
A-3-2 Progress

andCurrent

Statusof

Off-Site

Decontamination

andEnvironmental Remediation
A-3-2-1

Decontamination

The whole area decontamination in Special Decontamination Area (SDA) wascompleted as planned at the end of March, 2017 where the national government,
Ministry of the Environment (MOE), is responsible for. In the Intensive Contamination
Survey Area (ICSA), where municipalities have been conducting the decontamination,
it was terminated at the end of March 2018. This means that whole area
decontamination was completed in 100 Municipalities among 8 Prefectures except in
Difficult-to-Return Zone (DRZ). Subsequently, air dose rates in the environment havebeen decreasing and the effect of decontamination is confirmed.
In DRZ, as a result of the significant decrease in air dose rates and strong requests fromlocal residents to return to their homes, the national government amended the law to
set Specified Reconstruction and Revitalization Base (SRRB) for municipalities existingin the zone. In SRRB, MOE promotes to carry out environmental improvements, such8

as house demolition, decontamination and waste management with the aim of lifting
the evacuation orders between 2020 and Spring 2023. In March 2020, evacuation order
was lifted in advance for parts of SRRB in Okuma, Futaba, and Tomioka Towns.
A-3-2-2

Interim Storage Facility (ISF) and Recyclinga ISF
ISF is a facility, in which contaminated soil and waste generated from off-site
decontamination works in Fukushima are stored intensively and safely. The MOE
started the construction of 9 reception and separation facilities and soil storage sites in
8 work areas to store and separate soil and waste generated from off-site
decontamination, also 3 volume reduction facilities and 3 waste storage facilities totreat waste. In March 2020, operation of all the treatment process of soil and waste wasstarted.
As of the end of March 2020, about 6.68 mil m3 out of 14 mil m3 of target transportation
objects of removed soil and waste has been delivered to ISF. By the end of March 2022,
MOE plans to transport almost all the soil and waste to the ISF, which are temporarily
stored in Fukushima Prefecture, obtaining local understandings on the safety first basis.
b Recycling
As for soil and waste generated from decontamination in Fukushima Prefecture is totake necessary measures to complete the final disposal outside Fukushima Prefecture
within 30 years from the start of ISF operation which is determined by the law. As theamount of final disposal outside Fukushima Prefecture should be reduced, MOE ismaking efforts for volume reduction and recycling. Currently demonstration project ofrecycling has been conducted in farmland development in Iitate Village in Fukushima
Prefecture. The MOE, for example, is working to promote understanding of the safetyof recycling by displaying flowers grown on a trial basis in the rooms of senior officialsat MOE.
A-3-2-3

Environmental Remediation in Fukushima and Future Oriented

Project
In response to the local needs in Fukushima, MOE will promote future-oriented
initiatives to create and rediscover the strengths of the region from the environmental
9perspective of de-carbonization, resource recycling, and coexistence with nature, in
addition to environmental restoration. MOE will also engage in risk communication,
public relations and information dissemination to address radiation health concerns,
and strategically develop a cross-sectoral policy package through these efforts.
(Examples)Support for industrial creation (recycling facility for incombustibles
will be operating in 2020 Autumn)Support for decarbonized town planning (compatibility both fordevelopment of town reconstruction and decarbonization)Support for Fukushima green regeneration(Expansion of tourists population by utilizing natural resources suchas national park)Support for revitalization of local community (risk communication,
information dissemination through Riprun Fukushima)

A-3-2-4

Consolidated

Reportof

IAEA-MOE

Experts

MeetingonEnvironmental Remediation
The IAEA is now working on “Consolidated Report” with a content of IAEA-MOE
Experts Meetings which were held 4 times in a row between 2016 and 2017. The MOE
also helps the IAEA to share the past and latest information on environmental
remediation in Fukushima. The report is planned to be published in March 2021.
For updated information, please check MOE web-site shown below:
http://josen.env.go.jp/en/

A-4 Preparation of the Report
This report describes measures taken for implementing the obligations under thisConvention and is a compilation of information available at the end of March 2020,
unless otherwise specified.
This report describes those measures article by article, and its description is mainly
focused on the mechanism to ensure safety. In addition, response to challenges identified
at the 6th Review Meeting are reported in Section K.
The Guidelines on the Structure of National Report, INFCIRC/604/Rev3, is taken into10

account to develop this National Report. In Japan, multiple government organizations
are in charge of implementation for the obligations under this Convention. Following
list is general allocation of responsibility.
Sections defined

Responsible organization

by INFCIRC/604
A

NRA, MOE

B

METI, NRA, MEXT

C

MOFA

D

NRA, MHLWE

NRA, MHLW, METIF

NRA, MEXT, CAO

G

NRA, METI

H

NRA

I

METI, NRA

J

NRA

K

NRA, METI

L

NRA* NRA: Nuclear Regulation Authority; MOE: Ministry of the Environment; METI:
Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry; MEXT: Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports,
Science and Technology; MOFA: Ministry of Foreign Affairs; MHLW: Ministry of Health,Labour and Welfare; CAO: Cabinet Office11

A-5 Overview Matrix
Long-term
management
policySpent fuelNuclear fuel cycle
wastesRadioactive wastefrom researchfacilities, etc.

Current
practices /facilities

Planned facilities

Reprocessing

Utilities shallpay
contributions
into fundmanagement
organizationforreprocessing

Overseas
Reprocessing

Japan Nuclear FuelLtd. (JNFL)
Rokkasho
Reprocessing facility(Under Pre-Service
Inspection) /Recyclable-Fuel
Storage Co. (RFS)
Spent Fuel Storage
Facility (underconstruction)

Geologicaldisposal,intermediate
depth disposal
and near surface
disposalUtilities shallpay
contributions
into fundmanagement
organizationfordisposal

Low Level
Radioactive
Waste (LLW)
disposalfacilities.
High Level
Radioactive
Waste (HLW)
storagefacilities

Geological disposal
and intermediate
depth disposal

Near surface
disposalWastegenerator
pays for the
storage anddisposal

On sitestorage

Near surface disposal

Utilities shall
pay deposits
into theReserve
Fund

Tokai
Hamaoka(1,2)
Genkai (1,2)
Tsuruga (1)Mihama (1,2)
Shimane (1)Ikata (1)Ohi (1,2)
Onagawa (1)TEPCO Fukushima
Daiichi (1-6)
TEPCO Fukushima
Daini (1-4)
Ikata (2)Source user

Return to
manufactures,
Storage-

Decommissioning
liabilities

Decommissioningof NPP

Disused sealed
sources

Return to
manufacturers,
Long-term Source
user storage

Funding ofliabilities

12Section B Policies and Practices
Article 32
1

In accordance with the provisions of Article 30, each Contracting Party shall submit anational report to each review meeting of Contracting Parties. This report shall address
the measures taken to implement each of the obligations of the Convention. For eachContracting Party the report shall also address its:(i)

spent fuel management policy;(ii) spent fuel management practices;(iii) radioactive waste management policy;(iv) radioactive waste management practices;(v) criteria used to define and categorize radioactive waste.

Section B describes the national policy for promoting the spent fuel management andradioactive waste management in Japan and the operator’s actions based on that policy.
The policy and actions for the safety of spent fuel management and radioactive waste
management are described in “Section G Safety of Spent Fuel Management” and“Section H Safety of Radioactive Waste Management”, respectively.

B-1

Spent Fuel Management Policy

The management of spent fuel is a global challenge. Spent fuel is an unavoidable productof the use of nuclear energy, and it is essential to implement measures to resolve thischallenge as a responsibility of the current generation so that the burden is not passed
on to future generations. Therefore, Japan has been reinforcing and promoting efforts
comprehensively to resolve the challenge of how to manage and dispose of spent fuel.
As the current generation that has produced radioactive waste, the government of Japan
will reinforce measures toward final disposal of high-level radioactive waste and takethe initiative in solving this problem. However, the process will take a long time. In themeantime, spent fuel produced by nuclear power generation must be safely managed. It
is therefore necessary to expand the capacity for storing spent fuel and is urgently
important to broaden the range of choices for managing spent fuel while ensuring safety.
It will enhance the flexibility of policy planning, and contribute to medium-term energy
security.
13

Based on the above policy, it is necessary that the storage capacity of spent fuel will be
expanded. Specifically, while studying a wide range of locations as possible sites,
regardless of whether they are inside or outside the premises of a power plant, thegovernment of Japan will strengthen its effort for facilitating construction and utilizationof new intermediate storage facilities and dry storage facilities.

In order to resolve the issues related to the reprocessing and disposal of spent fuels andmitigate the risks for and the burden on future generations, the government will makeefforts towards a nuclear fuel cycle that contributes to the reduction of the volume andharmfulness of high-level radioactive waste and effective utilization of resources while
adequately taking the past history into consideration and continuing to gain theunderstanding of relevant municipalities and the international community, and will
promote reprocessing and plutonium use in LWRs. Furthermore, the government will
promote development of technologies for reducing the volume and harmfulness ofradioactive waste in order to secure a wide range of options in the future.
As a measure to organize the business environment and achieve steady reprocessing
which forms the basis of the nuclear fuel cycle, Japan has implemented the Spent Nuclear
Fuel Reprocessing Implementation Act (see Section E). The bill establishes a scheme forsecuring funds related to reprocessing spent fuel, as well as an implementation body to
be responsible for reprocessing. Based on this, the Nuclear Reprocessing Organizationof Japan was established as an authorized corporation on October 3rd, 2016.

B-2

Spent Fuel Management Practices
B-2-1 Reprocessing of spent fuel generated from nuclear power generation

Electric utilities had sent spent fuel to the United Kingdom and French reprocessing
companies since 1969; the export of spent fuel to foreign reprocessing plants has
stopped in July 2001. Approximately 7,100MTU of spent fuel had been exported.
A part of national demand for reprocessing had been covered by the reprocessing plantof the incorporated administrative agency, JAEA, which was commissioned in
December 1980, in Tokai village in Ibaraki Prefecture (reprocessing capacity: 0.7MTU
14

per day). This plant was built for the purpose of establishing reprocessing technology
and of training and fostering engineers and technicians in Japan. The plant completed
the reprocessing service contracted by the electric utilities in the end of March 2006.
Later, the reprocessing test of the advanced thermal reactor MOX spent fuel was
conducted until May 2007, and it was used for the development of reprocessing
technology. The plant has reprocessed a total of approximately 1,100MTU of spent fuelsince the commissioning.
In response to the amendment of the Reactor Regulation Act in 1979, a private
reprocessing company, the Japan Atomic Fuel Service Co., Ltd. (presently, the Japan
Nuclear Fuel Ltd., JNFL) was established in 1980, funded by the electric utilities. This
company commenced construction of a commercial reprocessing plant with the annual
reprocessing capacity of 800MTU in Rokkasho village, Aomori Prefecture in 1993,
based on the operating experience of the reprocessing plant of Japan Atomic Energy
Agency (JAEA), considering the trends of domestic demand for reprocessing, andintroducing technologies and experiences accumulated in the leading countries in thefield of reprocessing. The reprocessing plant started pre-service inspection using actual
spent fuel in 2006. The plant has reprocessed a total of approximately 430MTU for the
pre-service inspection at the end of March 2008 for active testing to secure the safetyfunction. Also, from November, 2007, vitrification testing began. It ended in 2013 after
a temporary interruption due to the East Japan great earthquake. At the present time,
the plant proceeds with management to meet the new requirements formulated by the
Nuclear Regulation Authority, aiming at completion in the first half of 2022. Spent fuelstorage has already begun at the plant, completed in 1999, with the storage capacity of
3,000MTU. This plant has accepted a total of approximately 3,400MTU by the end of
May 2020. As of the end of March, 2020, the amount of spent fuel stored in nuclear
power plants of LWR in Japan amounts to approximately 16,000 MTU.
B-2-2 Offsite interim spent fuel storage
The amendment of the Reactor Regulation Act was enforced in 2000 to incorporate
provisions on interim spent fuel storage. In response to this amendment, TEPCO and
JAPC jointly established “Recyclable-Fuel Storage Company (RFS)” in 2005. After
receiving the approval of previous regulatory scheme, RFS started

construction of

Recyclable-Fuel Storage Center in 2010 at Mutsu city, Aomori Prefecture, which isJapan’s first off-site interim spent fuel storage facility. In December 2013, the NRA
15

developed new regulatory requirements for nuclear fuel cycle facilities including spent
fuel storage facility based on the TEPCO’s Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Station
Accident. In January 2014, RFS applied to NRA for the review, and NRA is
implementing its review at present. The Storage Center is the facility to store spent
fuel generated from BWRs and PWRs in metallic dry casks, and is capable of storing amaximum of approximately 3,000MTU of spent fuel.
B-2-3 Management of spent fuel from research reactor facilities
The spent fuel from research reactor facilities is either returned to the USA etc., or isreprocessed or stored in Japan.

B-3

Radioactive Waste Management Policy

The government of Japan developed the policy for promoting radioactive waste disposal
as described below.
B-3-1 Radioactive waste subject to geological disposal
B-3-1-1

High level radioactive waste

In Japan, a site for geological disposal of high level radioactive waste is determinedthrough three steps of the selection of “preliminary investigation areas”, “detailed
investigation areas” and “construction site of final disposal facility”, in accordancewith the “Final Disposal Act” in May 2003. (See Section E). The Nuclear Waste
Management Organization of Japan (NUMO) was established as an organization to
implement final disposal. In addition, utilities have deposited the reserve funds for
final disposal to NUMO. The appeal to the public for candidate areas for literature
survey on the possible installation of a final disposal facility was conducted by NUMO,
but the literature survey has not yet been commenced.
Under these circumstances, the Japanese government revised fundamental policy
based on the Final Disposal Act in May, 2015. In the new policy it was decided thatJapan should take the initiative to solve the problem of high-level radioactive waste
as the responsibility of the current generation that created the waste so as not to pass
the burden on to future generations. Specifically, in order to ensure a deeper public
16

concern and understanding of the issue, central government is supposed to indicate
the area considered higher suitability from a scientific perspective. The Japanese
government published the “Nationwide Map of Scientific features for Geological
Disposal” in July, 2017. While making efforts on the assumption of geological disposal,
it is ensured that the future generation will be able to select the best disposal method(reversibility and retrievability). The technical reliability of geological disposal will be
evaluated while proceeding with parallel surveys and research of alternative disposal
options. In addition, structure of regional consensus building for citizens of various
positions to participate in and supportive measures toward the sustainable
development of communities to accept final disposal site will be considered.
As for international cooperation, Japan has been studying, and using as reference,cases in foreign countries where disposal site selection is in progress, and will continue
to exchange views with the countries that have final disposal programs and also topromote multinational cooperation using cooperative frameworks of the IAEA,
OECD/NEA, etc.
B-3-1-2Long-lived low-heat generating radioactive wastes (TRU wastes) to begeologically disposed of

Agency for Natural Resources and Energy (ANRE), which is the affiliatedorganization of METI, amended the Final Disposal Act in 2007. According to thisamendment, TRU wastes from reprocessing that need to be geologically disposed ofand high level radioactive wastes that are returned from overseas reprocessing plants
in exchange for TRU wastes were added to the wastes to be finally disposed of by
NUMO, and generators of such radioactive wastes were legally requested to provide
the cost needed for final disposal.
B-3-2 Radioactive wastes subject to disposal with active control
In Japan, disposal with active control is categorized by the following three types; “nearsurface trench disposal”, “near surface pit disposal” and “intermediate depth disposal.”
Low level radioactive wastes generated in nuclear power plants that are subject to nearsurface trench disposal and near surface pit disposal are already being disposed of withsuch methods.

17

B-3-3 Ban on sea dumping of radioactive waste
In compliance with the Convention on the Prevention of Marine Pollution by Dumpingof Wastes and Other Matter (1972) and its amendment to Annex I in 1993, it was
decided that “the government of Japan will eliminate the option of sea dumping as aprinciple of low level radioactive waste in the future.” Based on this decision, theReactor Regulation Act was amended in May 2005, and sea dumping of radioactive
waste was banned.

B-4

Radioactive Waste Management Practices

Operators, recognizing their responsibility concerning radioactive waste management,
shall manage radioactive waste generated at their facilities in compliance with theReactor Regulation Act, the Radiation Hazards Prevention Act and relevant regulations.
B-4-1 High Level Radioactive Waste Management Practices
Spent fuel generated in Japan, has been reprocessed by the Rokkasho Reprocessing
Plant of JNFL, Tokai Reprocessing Plant of JAEA and reprocessing plants in the United
Kingdom and France. (JNFL has reprocessed spent fuel in an active test and plans tocomplete the Rokkasho Reprocessing Plant in the first half of 2018.)
The electric power utilities in Japan have concluded reprocessing contracts with theUnited Kingdom and French companies for a total of 5,600 MTU of spent fuel fromlight water reactors and 1,500 MTU of spent fuel from a gas cooled reactor. In
accordance with these contracts, vitrified waste canisters have been returned to theutilities and are stored at the Vitrified Waste Storage Center of JNFL. As of the end of
March2020, 1,830 vitrified canisters have been returned from the United Kingdom andFrance. Return shipment of the 1,310 vitrified waste canisters from France started in
1995 and finished in 2007. Return shipment of the vitrified waste canisters from theUnited Kingdom started in 2010, and about 380 vitrified waste canisters will be
returned in about 3 times. The Rokkasho Reprocessing Plant has been storing 346
vitrified waste canisters which were generated in an active test.
High level liquid waste generated at the Tokai Reprocessing Plant of JAEA was stored
in tanks within the facility and has been vitrified at the vitrification facility which18

started operation in January 1995. As of March 2020, about 365 cubic meters of liquid
waste and 316 vitrified waste canisters are in storage. Vitrified waste canisters are
decided to undergo geological disposal based on the Final Disposal Act.
B-4-2 Low Level Radioactive Waste Management Practices
For the business of waste based on the Reactor Regulation Act, please see Section H.

B-5

Criteria Used to Define and Categorize Radioactive Waste

Classification of radioactive waste based on the Reactor Regulation Act is described in
Section E.

19

Section C Scope of Application
Article 3
1. This Convention shall apply to the safety of spent fuel management when the spent fuelresults from the operation of civilian nuclear reactors. Spent fuel held at reprocessing
facilities as part of a reprocessing activity is not covered in the scope of this Convention
unless the Contracting Party declares reprocessing to be part of spent fuel management.
2. This Convention shall also apply to the safety of radioactive waste management when theradioactive waste results from civilian applications. However, this Convention shall not
apply to waste that contains only naturally occurring radioactive materials and that does not
originate from the nuclear fuel cycle, unless it constitutes a disused sealed source or it isdeclared as radioactive waste for the purposes of this Convention by the Contracting Party.
3. This Convention shall not apply to the safety of management of spent fuel or radioactive
waste within military or defence programmes, unless declared as spent fuel or radioactive
waste for the purposes of this Convention by the Contracting Party. However, thisConvention shall apply to the safety of management of spent fuel and radioactive waste frommilitary or defence programmes if and when such materials are transferred permanently toand managed within exclusively civilian programmes.
4. This Convention shall also apply to discharges as provided for in Articles 4, 7, 11, 14, 24 and26.

The government of Japan declared, pursuant to paragraph 1 of Article 3 of theConvention, that reprocessing is part of spent fuel management, when Japan acceded to
the Convention. Therefore the government of Japan includes the spent fuel stored in
reprocessing facilities in the scope of the Convention.
The government of Japan did not make declarations provided for in paragraphs 2 and 3
of Article 3 of the Convention.

20

Section D Inventories and Lists
Article 32
2 This report shall also include:(i)a list of the spent fuel management facilities subject to this Convention, their location,
main purpose and essential features;(ii) an inventory of spent fuel that is subject to this Convention and that is being held instorage and of that which has been disposed of. This inventory shall contain adescription of the material and, if available, give information on its mass and its total
activity;(iii) a list of the radioactive waste management facilities subject to this Convention, theirlocation, main purpose and essential features;(iv) an inventory of radioactive waste that is subject to this Convention that:(a) is being held in storage at radioactive waste management and nuclear fuel cycle
facilities;(b) has been disposed of; or(c) has resulted from past practices.
This inventory shall contain a description of the material and other appropriate
information available, such as volume or mass, activity and specific radionuclides;(v) a list of nuclear facilities in the process of being decommissioned and the status ofdecommissioning activities at those facilities.

D-1 List of Spent Fuel Management Facilities
As Japan declared that reprocessing is a part of spent fuel management, spent fuelstorage facility in Japan include nuclear reactor facility, spent fuel storage facility, andreprocessing facility. Spent fuel generated in nuclear power reactors is stored at spent
fuel storage within each nuclear power station for a certain period of time, and istransported to spent fuel storage facility or reprocessing facility.
Spent fuel generated in research reactors is stored and managed mostly inside the said
research reactor facilities.
The location, main purpose and features of these major spent fuel storage facilities arelisted in Section L.

21

D-2 Inventories of Spent FuelInventory and types of spent fuel stored in Japan are listed in Section L.

D-3 List of Radioactive Waste Management Facilities
In Japan, there are radioactive waste disposal facility and radioactive waste storage
facility where radioactive waste is stored temporarily before final disposal. As types ofwaste repositories, there are a near surface disposal facility, i.e. trench type disposal
facility, and a near surface disposal facility, i.e. pit type disposal facility. Very low level
radioactive waste is disposed of trench type disposal facility, and solidified waste(homogeneous waste package or cemented waste package) in drums is disposed of pit
type disposal facility. In waste storage facility, high-level radioactive vitrified waste
packages generated by reprocessing are temporarily stored.
Radioactive waste storage facilities are also located in nuclear facilities defined by thisConvention. Radioactive waste storage facilities within nuclear power plants include:
waste treatment facility; solid waste depository where treated waste (homogeneous
waste packages, cemented waste packages, other miscellaneous solids) in drums are
stored; depository where replaced steam generators and other large solid wastes are
stored; spent fuel pool where disused control rods and channel boxes are stored; andvessel where used ion-exchange resin is stored.
Radioactive waste storage facilities within fuel processing plants include: radioactive
waste treatment equipment; and solid waste depository where treated radioactive waste
is stored.
Radioactive waste storage facilities within reprocessing plants include: radioactive
waste treatment equipment; waste depository where vitrified waste and high levelliquid waste are stored; and waste depository where low level liquid waste and low levelsolid waste are stored.
Radioactive waste storage facilities within research reactors and major nuclear material
usage facilities include: waste treatment equipment for low-level radioactive waste; andsolid waste depository for drums of treated waste, etc.
Major radioactive waste storage facilities licensed under the RI Regulation Act include
waste storage facility for containers containing processed waste generated at22

radioisotopes use facilities. They are the spent fuel storage facilities which obtained thepermission of waste disposal activity.
Radioactive waste management facilities licensed under the Medical Care Act include
storage facilities for containers, etc. containing radioactive medical waste generated frommedical facilities.
The location, purpose and characteristics of such radioactive waste storage facilities arelisted in the Section L.

D-4 Inventories of Radioactive Waste
D-4-1 Radioactive Waste in Storage
In March 2020, the waste stored at nuclear power plants in radioactive waste interim
storage facilities include approximately 700,000 of 200 liter drums of low level
radioactive waste (LLW), 35 of disused steam generators, disused control rods, channel
boxes, dumped ion-exchange resin as of the end of March 2020. In addition, rubble,
trimmed trees, dumped protective clothing generated after accident, etc. [472，500 m3
in total], and waste from contaminated water treatment [4,713 of cesium absorbercolumns etc. and 597m3 of sludge] have been temporarily stored in TEPCO Fukushima
Daiichi NPS.
At facilities other than nuclear power plants, 2,492 of vitrified waste packages of highlevel radioactive waste (HLW) and approx. 576 m3 of high level liquid waste are stored
in reprocessing facilities. Details of these inventories including the other radioactive
waste are listed in Section L.
D-4-2 Disposed Radioactive Waste
Since 1992, LLW which contains comparatively low concentration of radionuclides
stored at radioactive waste storage facilities in nuclear power reactor facilities havebeen transferred to the Japan Nuclear Fuel Ltd. (JNFL) radioactive waste disposal
facility for disposal (pit disposal). The amount of waste currently at the disposal facility
is listed in the Section L.
The JNFL disposal facility is currently in operation and has disposed ca. 310,000 drums(200-liter-drum equivalent) of waste as of the end of March 2020. At the Japan Atomic
Energy Agency (JAEA) Nuclear Science Research Institute, about 1,670 tons of very low
23level waste (concrete rubbles) resulting from the dismantling of the Japan Power
Demonstration Reactor (JPDR) was disposed (trench disposal).
D-4-3 Radioactive Waste Resulting from Past Practices
In Japan, all radioactive waste including the one generated before the time theConvention entered into force for Japan is managed or was disposed of under theReactor Regulation Act or the RI Regulation Act. Therefore, there is none to reportunder this item.

D-5 Nuclear Facilities under Decommissioning
D-5-1 Nuclear Power Reactors
As of the end of March 2020, 15 units in total are under decommissioning:•

Japan Atomic Power Company’s (JAPCO) Tokai NPP;•JAPCO's Tsuruga unit 1;•

The Tohoku Electric Power Company’s Onagawa unit 1;•

The Chubu Electric Power Company's Hamaoka units 1 and 2;•

The Kansai Electric Power Company's Mihama units 1 and 2;•

The Kansai Electric Power Company's Ohi units 1 and 2;•

The Chugoku Electric Power Company’s Shimane unit 1.

•

The Shikoku Electric Power Company’s Ikata unit 1;•

The Kyushu Electric Power Company’s Genkai units 1 and 2;•

The JAEA's Fugen Advanced Thermal Reactor; and•The JAEA’s Monju Prototype Fast Breeder Reactor.

Since the last report, 5 NPPs have been granted the approval of the decommissioning
plans. Details on the NPPs under decommissioning (name, classification, date ofApproval of Decommissioning Plan, completion schedule for decommissioning) arelisted in Section L4-1. Also, current situations of major decommissioning activities areshown below.
Reactor at JAPCO’s Tokai NPS ceased operation in 1998. Decommissioning work has
been conducted since December 2001. Equipment other than reactor such as turbinesand feed water pumps was dismantled first and heat exchangers have been dismantled
since 2006. Dismantling of the reactor vessel will begin in FY 2024 and will take around
6 years. Decommissioning is expected to be completed in FY 2030.
24

The JAEA’s Prototype Advanced Thermal Reactor Fugen ceased operation at the endof March 2003, and has been under decommissioning following the approval of thedecommissioning plan in February 2008. Until now, dismantlement of condenser andfeed water heater as well as removal of tritium in heavy water system have been
conducted, and dismantlement of equipment around the reactor is currently underway.
The decommissioning is planned to be completed in FY 2033.
Regarding the JAEA’s Prototype Fast Breeder Reactor Monju, a basic plan on
decommissioning was developed in July 2017 in response to the Governmental
decision of its transition to decommissioning in December 2016, and decommissioning
work started following the approval of the decommissioning plan in March 2018.
Currently fuel removal from the core is underway as the first step of the 4 steps in thedecommissioning process. From FY 2023, dismantling preparation of sodium
components and dismantlement of power generation equipment such as water-steam
system are scheduled to be conducted as the second step. The decommissioning isplanned to be completed in FY 2047.
Chubu Electric Power Company's Hamaoka units 1 and 2 ceased operation in January
2009. The decommissioning plan which set out both the basic decommissioning policy
for units 1 and 2 and the activities in the first stage (dismantling preparation phase),
was approved in November 2009. During the initial dismantling preparation phase,shipping of spent fuel and survey and investigation of contamination were completed.
In February 2016, the decommissioning plan for the second stage (dismantling ofsystems and equipment outside the reactor) was approved. The decommissioning isplanned to be completed in FY 2036.
TEPCO decided to decommission TEPCO Fukushima Daiichi units 5 and 6 as well as
unit 1 to 4 which were severely damaged by the accident in March 2011. These 6 units
are in a state of permanent shutdown prior to decommissioning stage. In addition,
TEPCO decided to decommission TEPCO Fukushima Daini NPS unit 1 to 4 in July 2019.
D-5-2 Research Reactors
A total of 10 research reactors are in the process of being decommissioned:•

The JAEA’s Japan Research Reactor No.2 (JRR-2), JRR-4, Transient Experiment
Critical Facility (TRACY);•

The JAEA’s Reactor Facilities of the Nuclear Ship Mutsu;
25•The JAEA’s Deuterium Criticality Assembly (DCA);•

Hitachi Ltd.’s Hitachi Training Reactor (HTR);•

Toshiba Corporation’s Training Reactor-1 (TTR-1);•

The Rikkyo University Institute for Atomic Energy (RUR);•

The Tokyo City University (formerly the Musashi Institute of Technology)
Research Reactor (MITRR); and•The University of Tokyo Research Reactor (Yayoi).

Details on research reactors under decommissioning (name, classification, date ofApproval of Decommissioning Plan) are listed in Section L.
In addition, the NRA is reviewing the application for decommissioning plan of JAEA
Nuclear Science Research Institute’s Tank-type Critical Assembly (TCA), Oarai
Research and Development Institute’s Japan Materials Testing Reactor (JMTR) andToshiba Energy Systems & Solutions Corporation’s Nuclear Critical Assembly (NCA).
D-5-3 Reprocessing Facilities
The JAEA’s Reprocessing Facility received the approval of the decommissioning planin June 2018, and is currently conducting equipment update to restart vitrification
work of high-level radioactive liquid waste as of March 2020. The decommissioning isplanned to continue for approximately 70 years hereafter through dismantlingequipment in sequence following cleaning processes and decontamination of systems.

26

Section E Legislative and Regulatory System
E-1

Implementing Measures

Article 18 Implementing Measures
Each Contracting Party shall take, within the framework of its national law, the legislative,
regulatory and administrative measures and other steps necessary for implementing its
obligations under this Convention.

In Japan’s legal system relating to nuclear regulation, the Atomic Energy Basic Act is themost primary piece of legislation and defines the basic principles of nuclear energy use
in Japan.
Under this Act, the Act for Establishment of the NRA and the Reactor Regulation Act
are enacted to ensure safety for nuclear use, and the RI Regulation Act is enacted toprevent radiation hazards.
As an act to enhance management of spent fuel and radioactive waste, by taking
measures to achieve steady reprocessing and organizing the business environment for
nuclear power generation, Japan has implemented the Spent Nuclear Fuel Reprocessing
Implementation Act. Meanwhile, the Designated Radioactive Waste Final Disposal Act(Final Disposal Act) is applicable to taking necessary steps to systematically and securely
carry out the final disposal of radioactive waste to be geologically disposed, such as
vitrified waste of HLW generated from reprocessing of spent fuel.
The other necessary legislation has been put in place such as the Act on Special Measures
Concerning Nuclear Emergency Preparedness hereinafter referred to as the Nuclear
Emergency Act, which stipulates responses to nuclear disasters.
The NRA settles the NRA Ordinances stipulating regulatory requirements in accordancewith the Reactor Regulation Act or the RI Regulation Act. The Reactor Regulation Act
prescribes such procedures as permits, approvals, and inspections required for
installation and operation of nuclear facilities, etc. The Reactor Regulation Act clearlystipulates the NRA’s authorities to revoke permits and suspend the operation of facilities,
and impose penalties for violations of its provisions. Likewise, the RI Regulation Act
prescribes such procedures as permits, registration and inspections required for the use27

of radioisotopes and radiation generating apparatuses, etc. The RI Regulation Act clearlystipulates the NRA’s authorities to revoke permits and suspend the use of them, andimpose penalties for violation of its provisions.

28

E-2

Legislative Framework in Japan

Article 19 Legislative and Regulatory Framework
1. Each Contracting Party shall establish and maintain a legislative and regulatory
framework to govern the safety of spent fuel and radioactive waste management.
2. This legislative and regulatory framework shall provide for:(i)the establishment of applicable national safety requirements and regulations forradiation safety;(ii)

a system of licensing for spent fuel and radioactive waste management activities;(iii)

a system of prohibition for the operation of a spent fuel or radioactive waste
management facility without a license;(iv)

a system of appropriate institutional control, regulatory inspection anddocumentation and reporting;(v)

the enforcement of applicable regulations and of the terms of the licenses;(vi)

a clear allocation of responsibilities of the bodies involved in the different stepsof spent fuel and radioactive waste management.

3. When considering whether to regulate radioactive materials as radioactive waste,
Contracting Parties shall take due account of the objectives of this Convention.

The related laws and ordinances to govern the safety of spent fuel and radioactive
waste management are reported as follows.
E-2-1 The Atomic Energy Basic Act
The Atomic Energy Basic Act promulgated in 1955 forms the basis of nuclear energy
use in Japan. The objective of the Act is to secure future energy sources and promoting
academic and industrial development, thereby contributing to the welfare of mankind
and the enhancing quality of life. The Act specifically limits the research, development
and use of nuclear energy to peaceful purposes, prioritizes safety, ensures it isperformed autonomously under democratic management, and fruit shall be madepublic and contribute to international cooperation.
Moreover, the Act stipulates that the Atomic Energy Commission of Japan shall beestablished to ensure the democratic implementation of nuclear energy policy.
Construction of reactors and the use of nuclear fuel materials will be governed byregulations stipulated in the Reactor Regulation Act.
29

After TEPCO Fukushima Daiichi NPS accident, Atomic Energy Basic Act was amended
in September 2012. Regarding ensuring safety, contribute to protect lives, health, andwealth of nationals, preservation of the environment and national security was added
as an objective of this act by this amendment. Furthermore, new provisions concerning
the establishment of the NRA and the Nuclear Emergency Preparedness Commission
were added. And a provision concerning the establishment of the Nuclear Safety
Commission of Japan, which was abolished upon the establishment of the NRA, wasdeleted.
E-2-2 The Reactor Regulation Act
The Reactor Regulation Act stipulated in 1957 provides regulation for all aspects ofnuclear use in Japan.
By the revision of the Act in 2012, the provision for prevention for the release ofabnormal level of radioactive material by severe accident, regulation which considers
the occurrence of large-scale natural disasters and the criminal acts including terrorist
activities as well as safety objectives of the Atomic Energy Basic Act were added.
The objective of the Act was as follows:“In accordance with the spirit of the Atomic Energy Basic Act, this Act is enacted forthe purpose of providing necessary regulations on refining business, fabricating andenrichment business, interim storage business, reprocessing business and waste
management business, as well as on the installation and operation of reactors while
taking into consideration the possibility of large scale natural disasters, terrorist attacks,
or other criminal acts, in order to ensure that the use of nuclear source material, nuclear
fuel material and reactors are limited to peaceful purposes, and to ensure public safety
by preventing hazards in the event that a severe accident at a nuclear facility causes
discharge of an abnormal level of radioactive materials outside the factory or place ofactivity where the nuclear facility is installed, and by protecting nuclear fuel material.
And it is also enacted for the purpose of providing necessary regulations on the use ofinternational controlled material in accordance with treaties or other international
agreements concerning the research, the development and the use of nuclear energy.”
In this revision, severe accident measures have been added to the regulation on nuclear
power reactors, reprocessing and fuel processing facilities. Periodic Safety Assessmentof Continuous Improvement, which is the comprehensive safety assessment
periodically conducted by licensees, is introduced. Licensees are obliged to submit the30result of the assessment to the NRA and make it publicly available. In addition, "backfitting system” has been also introduced, which requires a nuclear facility to meet thelatest regulatory requirements retroactively even if it were already permitted orapproved.
The Reactor Regulation Act stipulates regulation on spent fuel storage, reprocessing
and radioactive waste disposal, such as Permit of Business, Approval of Design andConstruction Plan, Licensee’s Pre-Service Inspection, Licensee’s Periodic Inspection,
Approval of Operational Safety Program, Nuclear Regulatory Inspection, regulatory
procedures for decommissioning, and the duty to conform to regulatory standards.
Radioactive waste management has been categorized into 3: category 1 waste disposal(geological disposal), category 2 waste disposal (intermediate depth disposal and nearsurface disposal), and waste interim storage (Table E2-1, Table E2-2). The Act alsoprescribes administrative penalties such as suspension of operations, revocation of
permits, and criminal penalties such as imprisonment or a fine, in case that an operator
fails to comply with the provisions of this Act.
Furthermore, this Act stipulates a system for an employee feedback system (whistle
blowers) that an employee of licensees or any other persons are able to provide to the
NRA the information about breaching the Act. In addition, this Act stipulates that it
must be prohibited for the concerned persons to suffer any disadvantages.
Regarding specified nuclear facility where nuclear disaster has occurred, the Reactor
Regulation Act stipulates that it can be partially applied to the facility as long as anaction plan to implement necessary measures is created and such measures areappropriately taken to ensure the safety. The NRA has designated TEPCO Fukushima
Daiichi NPS as Specified Nuclear Facility. The NRA Ordinance Concerning the
Operational Safety of Reactor Facilities at TEPCO Fukushima Daiichi NPS and theProtection of Specified Nuclear Fuel Material has been enacted. This prescribes thesteps to be taken to ensure safety at TEPCO Fukushima Daiichi NPS.
After the revision of the Reactor Regulation Act in 2012, the IAEA’s IRRS mission
hosted in January 2016 recognized the needs for the improvement of inspection systemat the operational stage and other issues, which had been identified as future challenges
by the NRA itself. The NRA made revision on the legislation including the Reactor
Regulation Act in April 2017. The main contents of the revision of this Act were: (1)reform of the inspection system; (2) requirement for consideration on decommissioning31

from the early stage of design; and (3) review of the regulatory system for disposal ofradioactive waste generated from reactor decommissioning.
(1) Inspection system has reviewed to achieve further enhancement of safety bymaking inspection flexible, covering all aspects of licensees’ activities related toensure safety and checking issues by focusing on safety concerns. The newinspection system is different from previous one which checks various items toidentify fitness of those inspection results in fragments. The new inspection system
had been conducted as trial from 2018 to collect challenges for improvement. It has
been fully operated since 2020 as a systematic inspection program.
(2) With regard to decommissioning of nuclear facilities, in order to invite licensees’
early considerations for decommissioning at an early stage of design and facilitate
more smooth transition from operation stop to decommissioning, licensees are
required to prepare an policy on measures for termination of business(Decommissioning Policy) and disclose it to the public promptly after obtaining
Permit of Business. Related regulations came into effect in October 2018, andlicensees have developed the Decommissioning Policies and opened it to the
public. This Policy should include the estimate of the amount of waste, the estimate
of decommissioning cost and methods of raising funds, any other necessary items
to implement decommissioning.
(3) Out of radioactive waste for cat-2 waste disposal, regulation on backfilling of thetunnel is established for intermediate depth disposal site for waste, e.g. coreinternals, which radioactivity exceeds the concentration limit for pit disposal.
Activities such as excavation at intermediate depth disposal and geologicaldisposal site are restricted.

32

Figure E2-1

Structure of Major NRA Ordinances on Safety of Spent Fuel Management

and Radioactive Waste Management under the Reactor Regulation Act
the Reactor Regulation Act
Major Ordinance on storage
the NRA Ordinance on Spent Fuel Storage Businessthe NRA Ordinance on Standards for the Location, Structure and Equipment of Spent Fuel
Storage Facilities (the Licensing Standards)
the NRA Ordinance on Technical Standards for Spent Fuel Storage Facilities (the TechnicalStandards)
Major Ordinance on reprocessing
the NRA Ordinance on Reprocessing Business
Activities of Spent Fuelthe NRA Ordinance on Standards for the Location, Structure and Equipment of
Reprocessing Facilities (the Licensing Standards)
the NRA Ordinance on Technical Standards for Reprocessing Facilities (the TechnicalStandards)
Major Ordinance on waste storage
the NRA Ordinance on Waste Storage Business for Nuclear Fuel Materials or Objects
Contaminated with Nuclear Fuel Materials
the NRA Ordinance on Standards for the Location, Structure and Equipment of Waste
Storage Facilities (the Licensing Standards)
the NRA Ordinance on Technical Standards for Specified Cat-1 Waste Disposal Facilities orSpecified Waste Storage Facilities (the Technical Standards)
Major Ordinance on waste disposal
the NRA Ordinance on Cat-1 Waste Disposal Business for Nuclear Materials or Objects
Contaminated with Nuclear Fuel Materials

33the NRA Ordinance on Cat-2 Waste Disposal Business for Nuclear Fuel Material or Objects
Contaminated with Nuclear Fuel Materials
the NRA Ordinance on Standards for the Location, Structure and Equipment of Cat-2 Waste
Disposal Facilities (the Licensing Standards)
the NRA Ordinance on Technical Standards for Specified Cat-1 Waste Disposal Facilities orSpecified Waste Storage Facilities (the Technical Standards)
Major Ordinance on nuclear facilities in general
The NRA Ordinance on Standards for Quality Management in Operational Safety of Nuclear
Facilities (the Quality Management Standards)

34

Table E2-1

Radioactive Waste Management Prescribed in the Reactor Regulation
Act Article 51(2)Radioactive Waste Management

Category

Name

Category- 1(Cat-1) Waste
Disposal
Cat-1 Waste

Category- 2 (Cat-2) Waste Disposal
Intermediate Depth
DisposalTrench Disposal

Storage

Treatment

Final disposal by a Final
Final disposal by a Final disposal by amethod on thedisposal by a method on themethod on the burial
description burial of
method on burial ofof radioactive waste*5*5radioactive waste the burial of radioactive waste above ground or lessin the excess ofradioactive above ground or
than 70m fromcriteria defined by waste*4 at a less than 70m from ground, and notOrder*2 as they
depth ofground, and notexceeding criteria
have potential
70m and up exceeding criteria defined by the rule*3
significant risks to fromdefined by the(excluding forhuman health.
ground, and rule*3 (limited tomethods either to fix
notmethods either to radioactive waste atexceeding
fix radioactive
waste disposal site
criteria
waste at wastewith the engineered
defined by disposal site with barrier structure or fix
Order*2.
the engineered
integrally radioactive
barrier structure or waste at waste
fix integrally
disposal site without
radioactive waste at the engineered barrier
waste disposal site site)
without theengineered barrier
site)

Storage ofradioactive
solid waste
until final
disposal is
performed.

Processing
radioactive
liquid waste
or radioactive
solid waste toqualitysuitable forfinal disposal.

Disposal *1

Pit Disposal

Waste Interim Storage /treatment

Business*1

The name of “geological disposal” is not based on the Reactor Regulation Act, but often used in order to distinguishother waste.

*2

The Order for Enforcement of the Act on the Reactor Regulation Act.

*3

The Rule on Cat-2 Waste Disposal of Nuclear Fuel Material and Materials Contaminated with Nuclear Fuel Material.

*4

Radioactive waste from fuel facilities (limited to a facility solely conducting the fabrication of fuel that assemblies
that contain mixed uranium and plutonium oxide), research reactor, commercial power reactor or reprocessing
facility.

*5

Excluding waste generated from uranium fuel fabrication facilities and uranium-using facilities

35

Table E2-2

Methods on the Burial of Radioactive Waste for Final Disposal

E-2-3 Major Revisions on Requirements under the Reactor Regulation Act
The major revisions of the regulatory requirements made by the NRA after 2017 arereported below.
E-2-3-1

Amendments on the NRA Ordinance on Dual Purpose Dry Cask (DPC)

for Transportation and Storage
Regarding dry storage of spent fuel at commercial power reactor sites by DPC which
could be used both for transportation and storage, the NRA established the reasonable
regulation and procedure on the premise that its structural robustness meets stringent
requirements for transportation. Specifically, the NRA has stipulated the design
conditions for DPC such as the uniform seismic forces that are applicable to any
candidate site. The NRA also added DPC into the system of Type Certification for
Design and Type Designation when it is designed using the uniform values such as
seismic forces. It allows the NRA to review only site specific conditions upon
Installation Permit and Approval of Design and Construction Plan for each site,
provided applicants have once obtained approval of Type Certification for Design andType Designation for a certain DPC. For commercial power reactors, the NRA
amended/established the NRA Ordinance on Standards for Installation Permit, the
NRA Ordinance on Technical Standards, and relevant guides, and promulgated and36

enforced them in April 2019.
Furthermore, in order to rationalize review processes for package design approval andpackaging approval of the DPC, the NRA also revised the Notification on Technical
Details for Off-Site Transportation of Nuclear Fuel Materials, etc. and established the
Guide for application procedures, and enforced them in April 1, 2020.
E-2-3-2

Amendments on Regulations for Near Surface Disposal

In December 2019, the NRA revised the regulatory requirements for pit disposal andtrench disposal among cat-2 radioactive waste disposal as follows:

The required performances are clarified for waste facilities and waste packages,
the requirements having been changed from previously prescribed specificationbased criteria to performance-based criteria. Licensees shall formulate "Waste
Acceptance Criteria (WAC)" to indicate specifications that satisfy the required
performance of waste packages.

The scenarios of safety assessments were organized in basic scenario (dosecriterion: 0.01 mSv/y) and in alternative scenario (dose constraint: 0.3 mSv/y) in theprevious regulation. In the revised (new) regulation, the scenarios are rearranged
into “natural event scenarios” and “human intrusion scenarios.” Concerning
natural event scenario, the result of assessment with the most conservative
parameters scientifically reasonable shall not exceed the dose constraint 0.3 mSv/y,and the result with the most likely parameters scientifically reasonable shall not
exceed the dose criterion 0.01 mSv/y. Since trench disposal has no engineered
barriers to physically resist against human intrusion, the dose standard of human
intrusion scenario is 0.3mSv/y, the same as that of the natural event scenario.

The waste generated from reprocessing facilities, MOX processing facilities, RI
facilities, etc. are able to covered by pit and trench disposals. This amendment does
not include uranium waste.

In order to reduce leakage of radionuclides, trench disposal facility shall installcovered soil to avoid rainwater and groundwater infiltration and pit disposal
facility shall install an engineered barrier (concrete pit) for containment andcovered soil.
E-2-3-3

Amendments on Regulatory Requirements for Clearance

Japan has introduced the clearance system since 2005, and has more than 10 years’37

experience. The NRA started work to revise the regulatory requirements for clearance
in 2019, based on its experience of regulatory review of application for clearance.
The examination criteria established in September 2019 shows the selection method ofradioactive material subject to radioactivity concentration evaluation of clearance, how
to handle uncertainties in measurement and evaluation of radioactivity concentrations,the raised evaluation unit weight of 10 tons, and the introduction of samplingmeasurement methods.
The NRA established a new Ordinance on Clearance in August 2020 by abolishing theprevious Ordinances provided per facility and integrating them into the new
Ordinance. The new Ordinance on Clearance covers all materials and waste (excluding
liquid and gaseous waste) generated from all nuclear facilities. Therefore, since theclearance level of various types of radionuclides needed to be defined, the clearance
level of 257 types of radionuclides "for a widely common solid substance" as definedin the IAEA General Safety Requirements Part 3 (GSR Part 3) is incorporated into the
new Ordinance, in conjunction with the clearance level of 17 types of radionuclides
which Japan originally defined. The new Ordinance defines the clearance level of 274
types of radionuclides totally.
The details of the clearance system are reported in F4-5.
E-2-4 The RI Regulation Act
The purpose of the RI Regulation Act is, in accordance with the spirit of the Atomic
Energy Basic Act, to provide regulations on the use, selling, leasing, waste
management, and other handling of radioisotopes, the use of radiation generators, andthe waste management and other handling of objects contaminated with radioisotopes
or by radiation emitted from radiation generators (radioactively contaminated objects),
thereby preventing radiation hazards caused by those activities, to secure specified
radioisotopes and to ensure public safety. The Cabinet Order for Enforcement of the RI
Regulation Act and the NRA Ordinance for enforcement thereof have been enacted
under the RI Regulation Act.
All licensees and registrants for the use of radioisotopes or radiation generating
apparatuses and waste disposal shall prepare the radiation hazard prevention programand appoint a Radiation Protection Supervisor, and notify the NRA of them before
commencement of handling radioisotopes or radiation generating apparatuses. Those38

licensees who own a storage facility or radiation generating apparatuses larger than acertain scale shall undergo a facility inspection prior to use and periodic inspections
with regular intervals afterwards. Licensees and registrants also shall conform to thelegal standards for facility and usage, measure doses within and at the boundary of
their establishment as well as the exposure dose of radiation workers, conduct
education and training, and provide health surveillance. When disposing ofradioisotopes or of radioactive contaminants, the licensees and registrants shall ensurethat storage within the facility or at disposal facility conform to the legal standards.
At the same time as the amendment of the Reactor Regulation Act in 2017 mentionedin E2-2, the Radiation Hazards Prevention Act was also amended in 2017 (renamed to
the RI Regulation Act in 2019). In this amendment, special cases concerning thedisposal of radioisotopes and radioactive contaminants were added. When licensees
and registrants under the RI Regulation Act entrust disposal to disposal licensees
under the Reactor Regulation Act, such radioisotopes and radioactive contaminants
can be regarded as radioactive waste under the Reactor Regulation Act. Thus, the NRA
is able to regulate waste disposal in waste disposal facility installed under the Reactor
Regulation Act integrally and reasonably.
If necessary, NRA radiation inspectors conduct on-site inspections to check legal
compliance with the standards. Licensees and registrants must notify the NRA when
they cease to use radioisotopes or radiation generators and report any necessary
subsequent measures.
E-2-5 The Nuclear Emergency Act
This Act was promulgated in 1999 to protect lives, bodies and properties of citizens
from a nuclear disaster by strengthening nuclear disaster control measures, incooperation with the Reactor Regulation Act, the Basic Act on Disaster Management,
and other Acts concerning nuclear disaster prevention. To this end, the Nuclear
Emergency Act stipulates special measures for the obligations, etc. of licensees
concerning nuclear disaster prevention, the issuance of declaration of a nuclear
emergency situation, establishment of nuclear emergency response

headquarters,

and the implementation of emergency response measures and other matters relating
to a nuclear disaster, taking into consideration the particularity of a nuclear disasters.
The act provides that licensees shall be responsible for taking full-scale measures forthe prevention of the occurrence of a nuclear disaster and for taking, in good faith,
39

necessary measures with regard to the prevention of the progression of a nuclear
disaster and nuclear disaster recovery effects. It also stipulates that the government
shall take measures necessary for the implementation of emergency response measuresand those necessary for the implementation of measures to prevent nuclear emergency
and measures for restoration from nuclear emergency.
Following TEPCO Fukushima Daiichi NPS accident, the Nuclear Emergency Act wasamended on September 19, 2012, including the enhancement of measures to prevent
nuclear emergency, and the strengthening of the Nuclear Emergency Response
Headquarters and other bodies in a nuclear emergency.
E-2-6 Spent Nuclear Fuel Reprocessing Implementation Act
To establish a scheme for the steady and efficient reprocessing of spent fuel, in
accordance with the Government’s policy, while the environment surrounding nuclear
power business is undergoing change, Japan has amended the Spent Nuclear Fuel
Reprocessing Fund Act in 2016. The bill establishes a scheme for securing funds related
to reprocessing spent fuel, as well as an implementation body to be responsible forreprocessing, and authorized by the Minister of Economy, Trade and Industry. Nuclear
Reprocessing Organization of Japan has established in 2016, whose main activities
include the development of a master plan of overall nuclear reprocessing projects,
collection of the expenses paid by electric power utilities, and commission of the
reprocessing activities of spent fuels to a private entity (namely, Japan Nuclear Fuel
Limited (JNFL)).
E-2-7 Final Disposal Act
The Final Disposal Act enacted in May 2000 provides for the following basic
framework for systematically and securely carrying out the final disposal of high level
radioactive wastes generated from spent fuel reprocessing (hereinafter referred to as“Designated Radioactive Wastes");•development and public announcement of a basic policy and a plan (final disposalplan) for the final disposal of designated radioactive wastes by the Minister of
METI•

process for site selection for final disposal of designated radioactive wastes•

securing of the expenses required for final disposal of designated radioactive
wastes40

•implementing organization for final disposal of designated radioactive wastes.

The amendment of the Act in June 2007 newly added TRU wastes to be the subjects ofgeological disposal. The Minister of METI establishes the basic policy and based on this,provides for the final disposal plan. NUMO, which was established as animplementing organization based on the final disposal plan, carries out final disposal
activities. Utilities shall pay deposits to the fund reserved for disposal, which ismanaged by RWMC designated by the Minister of METI. NUMO promotes site
selection by a three-step procedure, that is, selection of the preliminary investigationarea, detailed investigation area and the construction site for final disposal facility;
NUMO obtains approval of the Minister of METI at each step. The three-step procedure
for site selection is clearly defined.
E-2-8 Medical Care Act
The Medical Care Act has aimed to contribute for maintaining the public health and toprotect the person who receives the medical treatment of good quality by providing
regulatory requirements to the establishment and the management of hospitals andmedical offices. When the radioisotope for medical use is used in hospitals or medical
offices, the notification to the prefectural governor, the usage in the room which
complies to the regulation, the disposal in the waste disposal facilities which complies
to the standards are obliged. Moreover, the manager of the hospital or the medical
offices is required to have the disposal facility that complies to the standards, and beable to consign the radioisotope to the contractor who is designated by the Minister of
Health, Labour and welfare. In the designation, the Ministry of Health, Labour andwelfare requires the periodic inspection, establishing the Radiation Hazards
Prevention Program, notification of the terminating the waste management business,based on the Radiation Hazards Prevention Act.
E-2-9 Act on Clinical Laboratory Technicians.
In the Act on Clinical Laboratory Technicians, the registration standard of the ClinicalLaboratory where the in-vitro examination is conducted is provided. For the usage ofradioisotope for the in-vitro examination in the clinical laboratory, notification to theprefectural governor, the usage in the room which complies to the regulation, thedisposal of radioisotope in the waste disposal facilities which complies to the standards
41are obliged. Moreover, the manager of Clinical Laboratory can consign the radioisotope
to the contractor who is designated by the Minister of Health, Labour and welfare.

E-2-10 Act on Securing Quality, Efficacy and Safety of Products Including
Pharmaceuticals and Medical Devices (Pharmaceuticals and Medical
Devices Act)As the safety requirements for manufacturing radioactive medicine, the rule for
manufacturing and handling of radioactive medicine and the rule of pharmacy
facilities, based on the Pharmaceuticals and Medical Devices Act are provided.
E-2-11 Allocation of Responsibilities of the Bodies Involved in the Different Steps
Roles are separated as follows. METI takes measures to promote the activities on
management of spent fuel and radioactive waste in accordance with the “Spent
Nuclear Fuel Reprocessing Implementation Act” (Section E2-6) and the “Final Disposal
Act” (Section E2-7), and the NRA regulates the safety of business in accordance withthe “Reactor Regulation Act” (Section E2-2), thus the responsibilities of institutions
involved in the different steps are clearly divided according to the legislative
framework.

42

E-3

Regulatory Body

Article 20 Regulatory Body
1. Each Contracting Party shall establish or designate a regulatory body entrusted with theimplementation of the legislative and regulatory framework referred to in Article 7, andprovided with adequate authority, competence and financial and human resources tofulfil its assigned responsibilities.
2. Each Contracting Party, in accordance with its legislative and regulatory framework, shalltake the appropriate steps to ensure the effective independence of the regulatory functions
from other functions where organizations are involved in both spent fuel or radioactive
waste management and in their regulation.

E-3-1 Organization, Authority and Responsibilities of the NRA
The NRA is an organization for nuclear regulation in Japan. The mission of the NRA is"to protect the general public and the environment through rigorous and reliable
regulations of nuclear activities." The NRA Secretariat deals with related
administrative matters. The NRA was established as an external bureau of the MOE.
The Chairman and Commissioners of the NRA are appointed by the Prime Minister,with the consent of the Diet, in accordance with the provisions of the National
Government Organization Act and the Act for Establishment of the NRA, which aims
for an independent, fair and neutral exercise of authority. The term of office of the
Chairman and Commissioners is 5 years, and reappointment is possible.
The NRA has to submit an annual report which contains status of execution of its duty
to the National Diet via the Prime Minister, pursuant to the Act for Establishment of
the NRA. The appointment and dismissal of the NRA Secretariat personnel is at thediscretion of the NRA Chairman.
The duty of the NRA is to ensure safety of nuclear energy use. The NRA has authority
to establish the NRA Ordinances in order to implement the Reactor Regulation Act or
the RI Regulation Act, and it has the legal authority to grant permit for installation ofreactor, for business such as spent fuel storage or waste disposal, or other nuclear
related activities.
The NRA can formulate the NRA Ordinances governing nuclear regulations in detail43

on these facilities, including measures to ensure operational safety and the protectionof specified nuclear fuel material, and emergency measures. The NRA implements
regulation including approval of design and construction plan, inspections, approvalof operational safety program and approval of decommissioning plan. In addition, it
collects licensees’ reports of nuclear facilities and conducts on-the-spot inspections, if
necessary. The NRA also has the authority to revoke permits of nuclear facilities orsuspend their operations, to order additional safety measures, the dismissal of Chief
Reactor Engineers or Chief Engineer for Nuclear Fuel Material, decommissioning
measures and other steps to prevent disasters.
In March 2014, the NRA merged the Japan Nuclear Energy Safety Organization (JNES),
which had advanced technical knowledge in order to increase its technical expertise.
Accordingly, at the end of March 2014, the NRA Secretariat had approximately 1,000
personnel, including Inspectors and Nuclear Emergency Preparedness Officers
stationed at nuclear sites. There were some fluctuations in the number of staff because
of increasing the number of inspectors in line with the reform of the inspection systemand the integration of function for Nuclear Disaster Preparedness into the Cabinet
Office (CAO). The number of the NRA staff is 1,074 as of April 1, 2020.
The NRA has the following committees and council composed of external experts
designated by the NRA in accordance with the Act for Establishment of the NRA. They
are the Reactor Safety Examination Committee, which conducts examines and reviewson the safety of nuclear power reactors, the Nuclear Fuel Safety Examination
Committee, which conducts examines and reviews on the safety of nuclear fuelmaterial, and the Radiation Council, which conducts reviews on the TechnicalStandards for the prevention of radiation damage. These Committees and Council
consist of external experts appointed by the NRA.
The Secretariat of the NRA consists of the Departments of the Regulatory Standard andResearch Department in charge of preparation of standards and guides and researchon nuclear systems, severe accidents, nuclear fuel and nuclear waste, safety research
related to earthquake and tsunamis, the Radiation Protection Department in charge ofsetup of the systems of nuclear emergency preparedness and response, physicalprotection of nuclear material, radiation monitoring regulation for radiation sources,
and safeguards based on international commitments, and the Nuclear Regulation
Department consisting of the Nuclear Regulation Policy Planning Division, the Groupof Licensing for the nuclear facilities, and the Group of Oversight for the nuclear
44

facilities including the Oversight Planning and Coordination Division, in addition to
the management divisions including the Policy Planning and Coordination Division,
the Personnel Division, the Division of Budget and Accounting, the Division of Legal
Affairs.
There are Nuclear Regulation Offices at 22 sites, with Operational Safety Inspectors
and Nuclear Emergency Preparedness Officers permanently stationed at those offices.

45

Figure E3-1

Organization Chart of the NRA

46

E-3-2 Regulatory Resources of the NRA
E-3-2-1

Financial Resources

Financial resource for all NRA activities is defrayed out of the National Treasury. The
NRA’s draft budget is submitted to the Ministry of Finance and the NRA is funded by
the national budget after being reviewed by the appropriate financial authorities andare determined based on the overall national financial situation.
The total budget of the NRA in FY 2019 is 58.4 billion yen.
E-3-2-2

Human Resources (HR)a HR in the NRA
The NRA is composed of Chairman and 4 Commissioners who are appointed by thePrime Minister, with the NRA Secretariat which deals with related administrative
matters. The NRA accepted personnel mainly from the part of Nuclear and Industrial
Safety Agency (NISA), Nuclear Safety Commission, the Ministry of Education,
Culture, Sports, Science and Technology (MEXT) and Atomic Energy Commission,
and was established in September 2012. In April 2013, the NRA accepted the personnel
from MEXT in association with the integration of Safeguard and Radiation Protection
functions. In March 2014, the JNES, a technical support organization, was also merged
into the NRA. And the NRA has been securing personnel with new graduates andother various specialties, by recruiting personnel with experience in industries or
research institutes.
It is important that NRA maintains certain level of quality and quantity of HR, andimproves technical expertise continuously to achieve independent scientific andtechnical decision making without depending on licensees’ knowledge and experience.
Based on the recognition above, the NRA has formulated a Basic Policy for HR
Development in June 2014 which clarifies the fundamental principles and outline ofthe policy for human resource development.
In this policy, the NRA is required to:(1) assign adequate resource for study and training;(2) associate human resource management with challenges or strategic importancefor future organization; and(3) encourage that the spontaneous desire of personnel to learn can be increased.
47

b HR Development in the NRA
As the nuclear regulation is one of the governmental administration field which
requires highly technical judgment such as nuclear engineering, nuclear material
control, assessment of countermeasure for earthquake and tsunami, geology andradiation protection, it is essential to secure the HR with required expertise and scale,and it is also essential to enhance the expertise of personnel continuously.
Therefore, the NRA have been utilizing the NRA HR Development Center, which wasestablished in March 2014 in order to strengthen the HR development function toward
the enhancement of the expertise of personnel, and have been developing HR in aplanned manner by offering the various training program.
Specifically,•

Specialized training in regard to the nuclear regulation to the "Nuclear Inspectors"
and "nuclear emergency preparedness officers" who required to be legallyqualified;•

Practical training using real-scale equipment/facility and simulator, and training
using plant simulator for enhancing response capability against severe accident;
and•Short-term overseas training to improve not only expertise but alsointernationality as well as training to improve language skill such as oral
communication in English.
The NRA established the "basic policy on human development for the NRA" in orderto clarify the basic concept for HR development of the personnel and to clarify theoutline of measures for HR development. Based on this policy, the NRA has beenpromoting measures in HR development with the NRA HR Development Center as
the driving force, by establishing the process for systematizing training which
contribute to the improvement of expertise of the NRA personnel and for promoting
skills transfer and knowledge management. With regard to the reform of theinspection system in accordance with the revision of the Reactor Regulation Act in2017, toward the implementation of the new Nuclear Regulatory Inspection,
employees who have acquired certain abilities through training have been granted
nuclear inspection qualifications, thus inspectors to operate Nuclear Regulatory
Inspections have been secured.
In addition, the NRA has sent the personnel to the foreign postgraduate research48

institute and diplomatic establishments abroad (Embassy of Japan in the United
Kingdom, Embassy of Japan in France, Permanent Mission of Japan to theInternational Organizations in Vienna) since FY 2016, in addition to professional
graduate school and international organization.
Furthermore, the NRA has employed 249 experienced and 136 new graduates during
April 1, 2014 and March 31, 2020, and has been promoting the measures to secure thepersonnel by diversifying the recruit for new graduates and by recruiting personnel
with experience in industries or research institutes.
As reported in Section F2-1-2, the NRA is conducting the HR Development Project for
Nuclear Regulation in collaboration with universities in order to develop HR who
have necessary knowledge and capability for nuclear safety and nuclear regulation
extensively, with a view to developing human resources who will be responsible fornuclear regulation in the future.
E-3-3 Ensuring Transparency and Openness at the NRA
E-3-3-1

Operation of Transparent and Open Administration

To clarify processes and discussions leading to final decisions, the NRA deemed a“Policy on Ensuring Operational Transparency of the NRA,” this outlined the basic
policies for 1) building of and information disclosure system eliminating the need fordisclosure requests; 2) thorough public discussions; and 3) thorough document-based
administrative actions as basic principles. According to this policy, the NRA decided
to make the NRA Commission Meetings, conformity review meetings, and Study
Team meetings open to the public, to publicly disclose the minutes and materials for
those meetings.
In accordance with this policy, the NRA has to prepare summaries of all meetings
which are attended by 3 or more Commissioners or interviews between the nuclear
licensees and the NRA Commissioners, or officials of the Secretariat of the NRA, andmake public the summaries. In addition, regarding the hearing from licensees for theconformity review, the NRA considered a procedure to make more detailed content
open than the summary previously disclosed, and it started to disclose thetranscription result by the automatic speech-to-text software since April 2019.
The NRA holds its Commission Meetings and other study meetings in public in49

accordance with the “Policy on Ensuring Operational Transparency of the NRA" andthe "Operational Guidelines for NRA Commission Meetings.” The NRA Commission
Meetings and other study meetings are broadcast live on YouTube, and abridged
editions of meetings not broadcast live are also released. The total time of movies
released by the NRA in YouTube is more than 900 hours in FY 2019.
In addition, reference materials used at Commission Meetings, conformity review
meetings and Study Team meetings are posted on the NRA website, so that thematerials would be available before each meeting starts. The minutes of Commission
Meetings are posted the following day, and those of various other meetings such asconformity review meetings and Study Team meetings around 1 week after the
meeting.
In addition, Technical Information Committee, in which examines whether the latest
findings require regulatory response, frequently used materials obtained fromoverseas regulatory agencies on the premise of non-disclosure, so this meetings itself
conducted as closed. The transparency of such meetings have been ensured bypublishing materials as far as possible and summary of the meeting minutes. Howeverbased on the importance of this meeting and further transparency, the NRA decided
to make this meeting disclosed to the public in principle, and the meetings may betreated as closed meeting only if it handles non-disclosure information or if themeeting is deemed appropriate not to be disclosed. The NRA started the policy from
June 2018.
In principle, the Chairman of the NRA holds regular press conference once a week,
and Spokesperson of the NRA holds twice a week, and special press conference if
required. The press conferences are also broadcasted (live or recorded), and theminutes are strived for uploading the same day for Chairman's press conference, thenext day for Spokesperson, on the website.
E-3-3-2

Taking Opinions from Outside

One of the NRA's core value and principles refers to "We shall be open to all opinions
and advice from Japan and the international community and avoid both self-isolationand self-righteousness."
Following this principle, the NRA, which is responsible for regulatory issues, has been
inviting the external experts as the member of Study Team and utilizing their50

knowledge, and has been conducting hearing from licensees in a positive manner. As
for meetings with related specialists or licensees, the NRA conducted them in apositive manner under the condition of disseminating information by ensuringtransparency, regarding that higher communication density contributes to acquiredomestic and international knowledge, promotes understanding of regulation andbuilding relationship for prompt emergency response.
Furthermore, the NRA solicited opinions from the Japanese nationals widely andpositively not only by the public comment stipulated in the Administrative Procedure
Act, when the NRA establishes the documents for new regulatory requirements,
Guide for Emergency Preparedness and Response (NRA EPR Guide), Conformity
Review Guide or the document for Nuclear Disaster Preparedness. For example, withregard to the new regulatory requirements, the NRA conducts public consultation on
the draft prior to conducting the hearing on the provisions pursuant to the
Administrative Procedure Act, and provided the people more opportunities foroffering opinions.
In addition to accepting these public comments, the NRA also has organized system
via internet and telephone for accepting questions and opinions constantly frompeople by opening its website and call center.
E-3-4 Ensuring NRA Independence
The NRA carry out its regulatory activities in a far, neutral and independent mannerbase on the approach to separate the regulation from the promotion of nuclear energyuse.
The Chairman and Commissioners of the NRA are appointed by the Prime Ministerwith the consent of the Diet, and the NRA Chairman appoints the staff of the NRA,
hence other authorities on the promotion side of nuclear energy have no involvementin the appointment and dismissal of staff.
From a fiscal perspective, the activities of the NRA are funded by the national budget,with budget proposals being submitted to the Ministry of Finance by the NRA via theMOE. The budget proposals undergo appraisal by the financial authorities, according
to the fiscal situation of the Government as a whole, but the authorities tasked withpromoting nuclear energy are not involved from a financial perspective either.

51

The NRA has a clear mandate. It engages in independent regulatory decision-making
stipulated in the Reactor Regulation Act in such areas as permits, approvals, andinspections. Supplementary Provisions of the Act for Establishment of the NRA
stipulates that officials of the NRA shall not be permitted to transfer to administrative
organizations responsible for promotion of nuclear energy utilization in order toensure the independence and impartiality of the regulations to retain the safety innuclear energy utilization (No Return Rule). The NRA designated the concrete
departments of ministries and agencies, to clarify operation of "No Return Rule" in 2015.
E-3-5 Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare (MHLW)The Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare is responsible for the safety regulation ofradioactive medical products, and the regulation related to the radioactive protection
at the clinical laboratory.
The pharmaceutical safety and environmental health bureau is responsible for thesafety regulatory requirements of manufacturing radioactive medicine, in accordancewith the rule of manufacturing and handling, and rule of pharmacy based on the
Pharmaceuticals and Medical Devices Act. And the Pharmaceuticals and Medical
Devices Agency conducts periodical inspections of manufacturing facilities ofradioactive medicines.
The pharmaceutical safety and environmental health bureau is also regulating safetyconcerning the consignment of the disposal of radioactive medicines.
The health policy bureau is responsible for the regulation for the radiation protectionin the medical facilities equipped with radioisotopes for medical use based on the
Medical Care Act and the relevant Ordinance for Enforcement, and also responsible forthe regulation related to the radiation protection at the clinical laboratory equippedwith the radioisotope for the in-vitro examination based on the Act on ClinicalLaboratory Technicians and the relevant Ordinance for Enforcement.

52Section F Other General Safety Provisions
This Section, from F1 to F6, mainly reports on the safety regulation under the Reactor
Regulation Act.
In addition, the safety regulation under the RI Regulation Act is reported below.
Radiation application can take a variety of different forms, for example, use ofradioisotopes as a source of radiation beam or use of radiation generator components,
sealed or unsealed source, and different radioactivity. Thus, the safety regulation
applies flexible requirements depending on form and radioactivity such as licensing or
registration. Regarding radioactive waste, it is stored at a facility where the waste was
generated, and most of waste are collected, treated and stored by permitted waste
management licensees. As reported at the beginning of Section H, any person who
intends to conduct waste management business shall obtain permission from the NRA.
In the amendment of the RI Regulation Act in April 2017, it explicitly stipulates thelegal responsibility of licensees and registrant including that of waste disposal business,“Licensees or registrants shall be responsible for improving business, enhancing
education and training, and taking other necessary measures to prevent radiation
hazard and protect specified RIs, while taking into account the latest knowledge on
safety gained in research, development and usage of nuclear energy.”
To carry out waste management business, an applicant is obliged to obtain permissionof business, establish a Radiation Hazard Prevention Program and observe it, appointa Chief Engineer of Radiation Handling, and undergo necessary inspections.
As for radiation control, the NRA Ordinance under the RI Regulation Act stipulates thelicensees’ obligations including setting of radiation controlled area and access control.
The NRA Notice on Radiation Doses (the Radiation Doses Notice) defines the limit ofradiation dose and concentration observed in the radiation controlled area and at theboundary of facility.
In the case of event which might cause or actually cause radiation hazard in the usageor transportation of radioisotopes, it is obliged as emergency measure to rescue or
evacuate radiation hazard victims, prevent the spread of contamination and remove
contamination, and implement access control. For licensees who use radioisotopes of53

the certain amount or more, it is necessary to establish in advance the equipment for
emergency measures, means of communication between the concerned organizations
such as police, fire department or medical institutions, and include them in the
Radiation Hazard Prevention Program.
As for termination of facility or usage, it is necessary to submit a notification, develop
a decommissioning plan, and according to the plan, transfer radioisotopes, and finish
decontamination. After completion, it is necessary to submit a final report.

54

F-1

Responsibility of the License Holder

Article 21
1. Each Contracting Party shall ensure that prime responsibility for the safety of spent
fuel or radioactive waste management rests with the holder of the relevant licenseand shall take the appropriate steps to ensure that each such license holder meets
its responsibility.
2. If there is no such license holder or other responsible party, the responsibility rests
with the Contracting Party which has jurisdiction over the spent fuel or over theradioactive waste.
F-1-1 Primary Responsibility for Safety
The Atomic Energy Basic Act establishes the most basic policy concerning the nuclear
energy use in Japan. This Act stipulates that “the research, development and use of
nuclear energy shall be limited to peaceful purposes, aimed at ensuring safety andperformed independently under democratic management. The results therefrom shallbe made public to contribute to international cooperation.”
The Reactor Regulation Act explicitly states the legal responsibilities of licensees,
stipulating that “Licensees of nuclear energy activity, etc. shall be responsible for
installing equipment or apparatus contributing to the improvement of the safety of
nuclear facilities or strengthening protection of specified nuclear fuel material, properand certain inspection of the said facilities, etc., enhancing education on operationalsafety or physical protection of nuclear fuel material, or taking any other measures forpreventing disasters resulting from nuclear source material, nuclear fuel material, andreactors, while taking into account the latest knowledge on safety gained from research,development and use of nuclear energy.” Furthermore, supplementary provisions of
the Act for Establishment of the NRA stipulates that nuclear licensees shall be deeply
aware that they have the primary responsibility for ensuring the safety of their nuclear
facilities and settling any accident, and shall endeavor to further formulate voluntarymeasures with the aim of developing a system for thorough crisis management for eachof their nuclear facilities in order to prevent the occurrence of an accident at said
facilities and the expansion of disasters in the event of an accident, in addition to themeasures that are required under the Reactor Regulation Act and the provisions ofother laws and regulations.
55

F-1-2 Measures to Fulfill Responsibilities by Licensees
The regulation based on the Reactor Regulation Act prescribes the measures thatlicensees shall take to ensure operational safety, specifically measures concerning theoperation and maintenance of facilities, and measures relating to transport, storage,
and disposal. These measures are detailed in the NRA Ordinances pursuant to theReactor Regulation Act.
Licensees shall establish Operational Safety Program and obtain the NRA approval.
The NRA confirms all safety activities of licensees, including compliance status withOperational Safety Program in Nuclear Regulatory Inspections.
Licensees are also requested to disclose any non-compliance events which do notsatisfy requirements for individual activity, by the provision of plant specificOperational Safety Program. This prevents concealment of non-compliance event bylicensees.
Licensees are subject to penalties in the event of failure to meet its legal responsibilities;
this can be cited as an institutional mechanism for ensuring that licensees fulfill its
responsibilities. For example, in the event that a nuclear facility does not meet theTechnical Standards prescribed by law and ordinances or that its operation
contravenes regulatory requirements, the NRA may require licensees to adopt an
operation method of the NRA’s designation or order it to take any other measuresdeemed necessary, pursuant to the Act. If licensees violates this order, the NRA may
revoke its permission or order it to suspend operation of the facility for a specified
period not exceeding 1 year.
In the event that an operator installs a nuclear facility without permission, it shall besentenced to imprisonment and/or a fine, pursuant to the Act. The same shall apply iflicensees fails to obtain approval for its Operational Safety Program or amends it
without approval, or if licensees and/or its employee fails to comply with Operational
Safety Program.
F-1-3 Measures in the Absence of Licensees or Other Responsible Party
In Japan, since business which generates spent fuel or radioactive waste to be regulatedby the Reactor Regulation Act is regulated under this Act, it is unlikely that
unidentified spent fuel or radioactive waste will be found. It is rare that orphan nuclear
56

fuel material is found, but in case it is found, that nuclear fuel material is to be placed
under the regulation by the Reactor Regulation Act.
In the event of revocation of a license, if there is no successor to the operator throughmerger or inheritance stipulated by the Act, the revoked license holder shall continue
to be regarded as the license holder and responsible for “record keeping," "protective
measures", "Operational Safety Program" and “physical protection” as prescribed in
the Reactor Regulation Act, and shall be subject to regulation. In the event of the
dissolution of the license holder, if there is no succession to the status of the operator
through merger or inheritance stipulated by the Act, the liquidator or bankruptcy
administrator shall be regarded as the license holder and responsible for “record
keeping," "protective measures," "Operational Safety Program" and “physicalprotection” as prescribed in the Reactor Regulation Act, and shall be subject toregulation.

Inaddition,theabove-mentioned

personsshalldevelopa

Decommissioning Plan, have it approved by the NRA, carry out decommissioning, andobtain confirmation of the completion of decommissioning from the NRA.
In addition, if an orphan source to be regulated under the RI Regulation Act is found,
as reported in J2-3, the owner of the discovery site or facility will manage it incompliance with the law, and in most cases, the Japan Radioisotope Associationcollects and properly manage orphan sources. With regard to the RI Regulation Act,in case of revocation of the license of waste disposal business, licensees concerned arestill subject to its regulation, as once licensed, until the decommissioning work
completes. In the event of dissolution, the Act prescribes that if there is no successionof the business through merger or inheritance, the liquidator shall take appropriate
measures for decommissioning, such as removal of contamination by radioisotopes.
As described above, provisions are in place to ensure that revocation, dissolution orbusiness succession does not create a situation in which no licensee exists and that thebusiness in question is terminated by liquidator if there is no business succession.

57

F-2

Human and Financial Resources

Article 22
Each Contracting Party shall take the appropriate steps to ensure that:(i)

Qualified staff are available as needed for safety-related activities during the operating
lifetime of a spent fuel and a radioactive waste management facility;(ii)

Adequate financial resources are available to support the safety of facilities for spent
fuel and radioactive waste management during their operating lifetime and fordecommissioning;(iii) Financial provision is made which will enable the appropriate institutional controls andmonitoring arrangements to be continued for the period deemed necessary following
the closure of a disposal facility.

F-2-1 Efforts to Secure HR Infrastructure in Japan
F-2-1-1

Regulatory Requirements for HR of Licensees

In granting Permit of Business prescribed in the Reactor Regulation Act, the NRA
checks that an applicant possesses the technical capability necessary to conduct the saidbusiness. In the case of licensees of reprocessing, the NRA checks that they have thetechnical capability to prevent and mitigate severe accident.
The Reactor Regulation Act stipulates that licensees must take the necessary measures
to ensure operational safety, must set forth Operational Safety Program before
commencing construction of a facility, and must obtain the approval of the NRA.
In terms of the measures that should be taken to ensure operational safety, there areregulatory requirements concerning the qualification of operators and the appropriate
staffing. For example, the NRA Ordinance on Reprocessing Business stipulates that
only those with the requisite knowledge shall operate equipment; and that
reprocessing equipment shall only be operated when adequate staff are present.
Moreover, it stipulates that licensees shall prepare check items to be confirmed before
started-up, during and after operation, and also licensees shall oblige its personnel tocomply with them.
Operational Safety Program, for example according to the NRA Ordinance on
58Reprocessing Business, shall prescribe matters relating to operational safety education
for those who operate and manage reprocessing facilities including the content ofoperational safety education and the policy on its implementation. Quality
management system to be set in Operational Safety Program is required to contain HR
provisions. It also contains that the competence required for personnel involved induties that affect nuclear safety shall be identified, measures such as education andtraining should be implemented in the event of any shortfall in competence, and thatthe effectiveness of education and training shall be evaluated.
As a prerequisite for carrying out business, licensees must appoint staff with therelevant qualifications to chief engineer posts. Licensees of power reactor must appointa Chief Reactor Engineer to supervise operational safety in reactor operation; licensees
of fuel processing and reprocessing shall appoint a Chief Engineer for Nuclear Fuel
Material Handling to supervise operational safety in the handling of nuclear fuelmaterials; licensees of spent fuel storage must appoint a Chief Engineer for Spent FuelHandling to supervise operational safety in the handling of spent fuel; and licensees ofwaste management shall appoint a Chief Engineer for Radioactive Waste Handling tosupervise operational safety in the handling of nuclear fuel materials and otherradioactive waste.
For example, licensees of reprocessing business shall appoint a Chief Engineer for
Nuclear Fuel Material Handling to supervise operational safety in handling of nuclear
fuel material. A Chief Engineer for Nuclear Fuel Material Handling is to be selectedfrom those who have passed a national examination conducted by the NRA to confirm
whether an examinee has expertise and experience necessary to conduct the said duties
and also has practical experience of more than 3 years of the said activity.
Furthermore, licensees of waste disposal business shall appoint a Chief Engineer forRadioactive Waste Handling to supervise operational safety in handling of nuclear fuelmaterial or materials contaminated by nuclear fuel material. A Chief Engineer forRadioactive Waste Handling shall be selected from those who have a certificate of Chief
Engineer for Nuclear Fuel Material Handling or Chief Rector Engineer. A certificate ofChief Reactor Engineer is granted to those who have passed a national examination
conducted by the NRA to confirm whether an examinee has expertise and practicalexperience necessary to conduct the said duties.

59F-2-1-2

HR Development for Regulation

The NRA recognizes that it is an important challenge for rigorous and reliable
regulation to develop not only its staffs but also the HR who have necessary knowledge
for nuclear safety and nuclear regulation extensively, therefore the NRA has conducted
the HR Development Project for Nuclear Regulation with universities etc., since the FY
2016. The NRA examines details of proposed projects through document screening andinterview for adoption. 15 adopted projects are being carried out as of April 2020. As
some projects have completed, the NRA currently calls for new proposals. The NRA
has been making an effort to maintain effective implementation of the project throughevaluating its progress and plan for the next year when a project continues to the nextyear.
HR development in the NRA is mentioned in Section E3-2-2.
F-2-2 Financial Resources
In the process of licensing of a nuclear facility except for nuclear fuel material use
facility, the NRA confirms that the applicant possesses the necessary financial basis
based on the Reactor Regulation Act. As a prerequisite for application, the applicant
has to submit a business plan that explains the financial base of the business in orderto prove that it possesses the said necessary financial basis.
For disposal business, this financial basis is required to cover the entire project period
including the period from closure to termination of license.
In the NRA Ordinance, nuclear licensees are required to clearly define necessary
resources including personnel and facilities, and secure and manage them in order toensure safety during the period of use of nuclear facility.

60

F-3

Quality Assurance

Article 23
Each Contracting Party shall take the necessary steps to ensure that appropriate quality
assurance programmes concerning the safety of spent fuel and radioactive waste management
are established and implemented.

F-3-1 Regulatory Requirements
The Reactor Regulation Act requires licensees to establish a system needed for quality
management relating to activities for operational safety of nuclear facilities. As a
specific requirement, establishment of a quality management system according to thestandards set in the NRA Ordinance on Quality Management Standards is required ata licensing stage. Formerly, this requirement was one of the approval criteria for designand construction plan reviewed at the stage of detailed design. In accordance with therevision of the Reactor Regulation Act in April 2017, the requirement on a consistentquality management system from licensing stage to operation and decommissioning
stage came into force in April 2020.
In line with the Quality Management Standards, in order to ensure that operationalsafetyactivities

respondingtodifferent

stagesfromcommencementtodecommissioning be conducted based on an appropriate quality management system,
licensees are required to establish a quality management system in its Operational
Safety Program and to plan, implement, evaluate and improve operational safety
activities based on the system. Meanwhile continuous improvement of the quality
management system itself is also required.
Specifically, for operational safety activities, the Quality Management Standards
require establishment of a quality management system, leadership of chief executive
officers, fostering and maintaining safety culture, resource management including HR,planning and implementation of activities, supervision, evaluation and improvement.
As a common concept to these requirements, graded approach and systemic approach
are adopted.

61F-3-2 Licensees’ Practice
To meet the above regulatory requirements, nuclear operators establish technicalspecifications and a quality management system, implement quality assurance
activities, and maintain the effectiveness of the system based on Rules Related toStandards for a Framework Necessary for Quality Management of Nuclear Work to
Secure Nuclear Facility Safety and Interpretation of Rules Related to Standards for a
Framework Necessary for Quality Management of Nuclear Work to Secure Nuclear
Facility Safety.
Operational Safety Program stipulates that a quality management system is subject toestablished, implemented, and continually improved to maintain its effectiveness. It
outlines the “quality management system,” “responsibility of the board,” “resource
management,” “formulation of a plan for individual work and implementation ofindividual

work,”“evaluation

andimprovement,”

andstipulates

specificrequirements for each.
To meet HR requirements, personnel who engage in work that affects nuclear safety
are required to be competent as measured by levels of education, training, skills, andexperience. Licensees clarify the necessary level of competence for personnel andconduct education and training for personnel to reach the necessary level ofcompetence as needed.
To meet procurement management requirements, nuclear operators conduct
procurement, making clear requirements related to the approval of products,
procedures, processes and facilities, requirements related to the personnel
qualifications, and requirements related to quality management systems.
To prevent ordering from suppliers with inappropriate quality assurance structures, it
is standard practice for nuclear operators to have suppliers submit a quality assurance
plan and to directly audit the supplier to confirm that they are meeting therequirements.
Procured items are checked at delivery to confirm that they meet the requirements
stipulated in the specifications. Licensees may directly check the supplier’s
manufacturing process when necessary. Quality of services is secured by stipulating inspecifications that personnel with necessary expertise provides said service. This
includes, for example, confirming that there is a technician that can perform specialized
62

work such as welding.
Audits are conducted on the quality assurance programs for operations of reactor
facilities. Auditory independence is secured by having a department that provides
objective assessments or persons outside of the nuclear facility conduct the audit. The
department in charge of the audit is often organizationally structured to directly reportto the board so that the insights that could improve the system gained from the audits
can quickly reach the CEO.

63

F-4

Operational Radiation Protection

Article 24
1. Each Contracting Party shall take the appropriate steps to ensure that during the operating
lifetime of a spent fuel or radioactive waste management facility:(i)the radiation exposure of the workers and the public caused by the facility shall be kept
as low as reasonably achievable, economic and social factors being taken into account;(ii) no individual shall be exposed, in normal situations, to radiation doses which exceed
national prescriptions for dose limitation which have due regard to internationallyendorsed standards on radiation protection; and(iii) measures are taken to prevent unplanned and uncontrolled releases of radioactive
materials into the environment.
2. Each Contracting Party shall take appropriate steps to ensure that discharges shall belimited:(i) to keep exposure to radiation as low as reasonably achievable, economic and social factors
being taken into account; and(ii) so that no individual shall be exposed, in normal situations, to radiation doses which
exceed national prescriptions for dose limitation which have due regard to internationallyendorsed standards on radiation protection.
3. Each Contracting Party shall take appropriate steps to ensure that during the operating
lifetime of a regulated nuclear facility, in the event that an unplanned or uncontrolled releaseof radioactive materials into the environment occurs, appropriate corrective measures are
implemented to control the release and mitigate its effects.

F-4-1 Regulatory Requirements
Regulation on radiation control in the facilities for spent fuel interim storage,
reprocessing, waste disposal and radioactive waste storage are detailed by the NRA
Ordinances established by the NRA under the Reactor Regulation Act. Requirements
such as dose limits, etc. are specified in the Notification to Establish Dose Limits in
Accordance with the Provisions of the NRA Ordinance on Activity of Refining Nuclear
Source or Nuclear Fuel Materials, etc (Notification on Doses).
It is required that reprocessing facilities shall establish Radiation Controlled Area,
Preserving Area, and Surrounding Monitored Area, and facilities for spent fuel storage,64waste disposal, and waste storage shall establish Radiation Controlled Area andSurrounding Monitored Area. Radiation doses, concentrations and density inRadiation Controlled Area and dose limits outside the Surrounding Monitored Areas
are specified in the NRA Notification on Doses.
Radiation controlled area must be clearly separated by a fence or wall from other areas
with an identification sign, and is subject to measures, such as access control and lockcontrol, depending on the risk of radiation.
A Preserving Area is out of radiation controlled area that requires special control toensure the safety of reprocessing facilities.
The Preserving Area must be clearly separated from other areas by placing a sign oroffering other means of identification and are subject to measures, such as access
control, lock control and a restriction on objects to be brought out in accordance with
the necessity of control.
A Surrounding Monitored Area is an area around a Radiation Controlled area, outsideof which the dose limits set by the NRA are not likely to be exceeded. People areprohibited from living in this area. A fence must be placed along the boundary to
restrict the entry of people, including habitation, other than those who enter the area
to work.
For the purpose of radiation control of radiation workers, nuclear licensees are
required to ensure that the dose of radiation workers should not exceed the dose limits
set by the NRA and the concentration of airborne radioactive material inhaled byradiation workers does not exceed the concentration limits set by the NRA. If it isunavoidable due to an emergency such as disaster to a nuclear facility, licensees areallowed to engage radiation workers in emergency work within the dose limits set by
the NRA. The dose limits set by the NRA are shown in the Table F4-1 below.

65

Table F4-1

Dose Limits

Item

Dose limits

A Radiation worker(1) Effective dose limit(2) Women(3) Pregnant women(4) Equivalent dose limit for the lens of theeye(5) Equivalent dose limit for the skin(6) Equivalent dose limit for the surfaceof the abdomen of pregnant women

100 mSv/5 years and 50 mSv/year
5 mSv/3 months in addition to the limit
specified in (1)1 mSv for internal exposure in addition to
the limit specified in (1); for the period after
the employee comes to know about the
pregnancy until the baby is born
100mSv/5years, and 50mSv/year

500 mSv/year
2 mSv; for the period after the employee
comes to know about the pregnancy until thebaby is born
B Radiation workers to engage in emergency work
(1) Effective dose limit
100 mSv (250 mSv)2(2) Equivalent dose limit for the lens of the 300 mSv
eye(3) Equivalent dose limit for the skin
1 Sv

F-4-2 Licensees Radiation Protection Program
In addition to measures required by regulation, such as compliance with thedesignation of radiation controlled areas and other areas and the dose limits, licensees
have detailed radiation control measures in place, such as the use of a personal
dosimeter with an alarm to measure a radiation dose at each entry into a Radiation
Controlled Area. In Japan, based on the As Low As Reasonably Achievable (ALARA)
concept, regulation for nuclear facilities having safety functions require licensees todesign facilities with radiation protection measures including shielding, location ofequipment, remote control, protection against radioactive material leakage, ventilation,etc., taking into consideration workability of radiation workers. This concept is also
widely accepted by licensees. Essentially, in conducting radiation works, it is a basic
understanding that unnecessary exposure should be avoided. In a nuclear facility inoperation, 3 elements (time, distance and shielding) for reducing exposure are

The dose rate limit in case any event described in any number of section 2, article 7 th of the Notification
Doses (NRA Ordinance No.8) occurred.
2

66

implemented, such as controlling access to radiation controlled areas, reducing theduration of work by performing radiation work in a planned manner, ensuring the
distance from radiation sources, and installing a shield.
Based on the Reactor Regulation Act, licensees are required to record the dose of theradiation workers and store the records during the period required by the NRA
Ordinance. The record is transferred to the organization designated by the NRA after
5 years from recording or concerned person is not a radiation worker anymore. The
Radiation Effect Association is designated for this purpose.
F-4-3 Efforts for Dose Reduction in TEPCO Fukushima Daiichi NPS
In the early stages of the disaster at TEPCO Fukushima Daiichi NPS, the system foraccess control and dose data collection/processing got damaged and electronic
dosimeters and battery charging equipment became unavailable, which led to thesituation where individual dose control could not be adequately performed. Electronic
dosimeters were secured in April 2011, then individual dose control became operable.
Further, a new access control building began its operation in June 2013, and access
control functions such as lending/return of electronic dosimeters were newly put inplace.
Just after the disaster, radiation dose rate was high all over the site due to thewidespread contamination by fallout and direct radiation from damaged reactor
buildings. Workers needed to wear full face masks and protective suits almost all theplaces at the site to prevent body contamination and internal exposure. In order toreduce the contamination levels and the dose rates in the site, measures have been
implemented such as installation of radiation shield against area of high dose rate likethe operating floor of Unit 3, treatment to remove nuclides from highly contaminatedwater stored in temporary storage tanks, removal of high-dose-rate rubble and cutting
down trees, removal of surface soil and deep plowing, and facing soil surface withmortar spraying or asphalt pavements.
Due to the improvement of the site environment, areas were classified based on thecontamination level from November 2011. For areas where concentration of radioactive
material in the air was below the threshold value for wearing full face mask, disposable
particle masks were worn during work. In March 2016, further progress enabled to
expand the areas without full face mask up to about 90% of the site. At the same time,67

wearing normal working clothes, instead of protective suits, became possible at theseareas. Currently, 96% of the site does not require full face mask and special clothing.
Continuous dust monitoring at 15 points at the site confirms that the concentration ofradioactive materials in the air remains below the threshold value for full face mask.
By September 2016, measures mentioned above led to the reduction of the dose rate at
the height of the chest or ground surface became below 5 µSv/h at most of the site
except some areas such as around unit 1 to 4 buildings. Along with dose reduction at
the site, while the average of monthly exposure dose rate of workers in FY 2012 a year
after the earthquake was about 2.2 mSv, it decreased to about 1 mSv in FY 2013 and it
has been around 0.35mSv since FY 2016. Approximately 80 dose rate monitors havebeen installed at TEPCO Fukushima Daiichi NPS. Monitors can be moved to the areas
where work is performed so that operators can monitor the air dose rate at work
locations.
On the other hand, areas of high dose rate still remain around the reactor buildings,
being obstacles for decommissioning work. In order to reduce the dose rates aroundthe buildings, measures are being taken depending on the progress of thedecommissioning work such as the removal of Unit 1/2 SGTS piping, which is highly
contaminated by radioactive materials.

68Figure F4-1

Transition of Full Face Mask Unnecessary Area at TEPCO Fukushima
Daiichi NPS

The areas without full face mask as of Feb. 2015 in orange.

The areas without full face mask as of Aug. 2020 in green.
69

F-4-4 Release Control of Radioactive Gaseous/Liquid Waste
Licensees reduce the concentration of radioactive material in gaseous waste as muchas possible by such means as filtration in an exhaust air system, radioactive decay overtime, or dilution, and then, measure and monitor its release. In the case of liquid waste,
licensees reduce the concentration of radioactive material as much as possible byfiltration, evaporation, adsorbing with the ion exchange method, radioactive decay
over time, or dilution in a drainage facility, and then, measure and monitor its release.
Licensees prescribe and manage in their own Operational Safety Program to control
the release of gaseous and liquid waste ensuring that the legally-prescribed radioactive
material concentration limits outside supervised area shall not be exceeded. To ensurethat release levels are below the legal limits outside the Surrounding Monitored Area,licensees decide the control targets based on the annual release quantity stipulated intheir Installation Permit Application. They guarantee in their Operational Safety
Program that they will not exceed those levels.
Furthermore, licensees set a target value for the exposure dose limit of the public living
near nuclear facility (dose target value) to control the dose to which the public is
exposed by the release of radioactive material to the environment during normal
operation based on the concept of ALARA. Upon obtaining a Permit of Business,
licensees decide an allowable annual volume or an average rate of the release as control
target for the release of radioactive material to meet the dose target value and describe
it in the Operational Safety Program subject to approval by the NRA. In Nuclear
Regulatory Inspections, the NRA checks safety activities of licensees such ascompliance status of the Operational Safety Program.
F-4-5 Clearance
Concerning radioactive materials generated in nuclear facilities, based on the idea that
it is important to reuse the materials which has negligible low radioactivity withnegligible low dose in terms of effective use of resources, Japan introduced theclearance system in 2005 with the enforcement of an amendment to the Reactor
Regulation Act.
The NRA stipulates the clearance levels in the NRA Ordinance of clearance as to clear
the materials which has negligible low radioactivity with negligible low dose from70

regulation of the Reactor Regulation Act. This clearance levels is set for 257 types ofradionuclides consist of those which are defined in the IAEA General Safety
Requirements No. GSR Part 3 and also for 17 types of radionuclides which are
originally defined by the NRA. For clearance of radioactive materials containing morethan one radionuclide, the Ordinance stipulates that the condition for clearance is thatthe sum of the ratio between each radioactivity concentration (D) divide by individual
clearance level (C) is less than 1 (∑D⁄C≤1).
Clearance system in Japanese regulation has 2 steps: 1) approval of the methods formeasuring and evaluating radioactivity concentration; and 2) confirmation by NRA.
In the 1st step the NRA reviews the application indicating the selection ofradionuclide(s) to be evaluated, the measurement equipment and conditions thelicensees’ uses, and the uncertainty quantification. The NRA established a regulatory
guide to review the application in the viewpoints listed below:•

Selection of radionuclides: radionuclides significant to estimate radiation doseshall be selected to satisfy over 90% of summation of D/C in the order of larger
D/C.

•

Maximum weight for evaluation unit: the maximum weight of evaluation unit
shall not exceed 10 tons.

•

Determination of radionuclide concentration: Upon the determination of theradionuclide concentration contained in the clearance material, measurement ofradiation, nuclide vector, sampling analysis and statistic processing are conducted.
With appropriate evaluation of uncertainties on above work, the upper limit of ∑D/C shall not exceed 1 when one-sided level of confidence is 95%.

•

Selection of measurement equipment and condition of measurement: The
appropriate measurement efficiency of measurement equipment shall be set.
When reference source is used, appropriate geometry shall be maintained at themeasurement.

•

Prevention of contamination: Measures to prevent mixing measured material andunmeasured material shall be taken. Material shall be stored in the place without
possibility of additional contamination.

In the 2nd step, as the NRA’s confirmation, NRA inspectors confirm that licensees’
process comply with the approved methods of measurements and evaluation.
The materials cleared from regulation of the Reactor Regulation Act could be reused asresources or be disposed of as general industrial waste under the environmental laws.
71The Chubu Electric Power Co., the Chugoku Electric Power Co., the Kansai ElectricPower Co., the Japan Atomic Power Co., and the JAEA have submitted 12 applications
in total for approval of the methods for measuring and evaluating radioactivity
concentration. The NRA has reviewed and approved 8 applications as of June 2020.
The NRA has been discussing the regulation for clearance of uranium waste, based on
the IAEA General Safety Requirement No. GSR Part 3 and EU Council Directive
2013/59/EURATOM which describe the concept of clearance for the radionuclides ofnatural origins and artificial origin. (see Section K1-5 for details)
F-4-6 Environmental Radiation Monitoring
To evaluate the impact of the release of radioactive materials from nuclear facilities tothe environment, and reflect the results to the release control and facility management,
licensees carry out radiation monitoring including the ambient radiation dose
measurement by monitoring posts and environmental samples.
To protect the health and safety of public, local governments in prefectures wherereactor facilities are located also conduct radiation monitoring around nuclear facility.
After TEPCO Fukushima Daiichi NPS accident, the government developed a“Comprehensive Radiation Monitoring Plan” to ensure systematic implementation ofenvironmental radiation monitoring related to this accident, which was decided inAugust 2011, and the 10th edition was published in April 2020 after revisions.
Environmental radiation monitoring is conducted collaboratively by relevant
ministries and local government of Fukushima Prefecture in accordance with theComprehensive Radiation Monitoring Plan.
Environmental radiation monitoring data are uploaded on the website of theMonitoring Information of Environmental Radioactivity Level,3 which is run by the
NRA, enabling the general public to see the data in real time. Furthermore, in August
2019, Japan agreed on exchanging radiation monitoring data with the IAEA in thecontext of the International Radiation Monitoring Information System (IRMIS), a
framework for collecting and sharing environmental radiation monitoring informationof respective countries and then, started sending data to the IRMIS in February 2020.
In addition, as the NRA and the Fisheries Agency are making effort to improve3

http://radioactivity.nsr.go.jp/en/72transparency and credibility of sea area monitoring. The 2 organizations have beenworking in collaboration with the IAEA Environment Laboratory since 2014 to collectand analyze seawater and seabed soil near TEPCO Fukushima Daiichi NPS, andmarine product samples in Fukushima Prefecture in order to conduct comparative
analysis of radioactive monitoring data between laboratories. According to the project
report released by the IAEA in July 2017, the IAEA highly evaluated that Japan’s
marine sample collection procedures follow the appropriate methodological standards
required to obtain representative samples, and Japanese institutions which
participated in the analysis of radionuclides in marine samples in sea area monitoring
programs have high level of accuracy and competence.
F-4-7 Measures Taken to Prevent Unplanned and Uncontrolled Releases ofRadioactive Materials into the Environment
The above-mentioned rules prescribe that the three-month-average of concentration ofradioactive materials in air outside the Surrounding Monitored Area shall not exceed
the concentration limits for discharge of gaseous radioactive waste, that the threemonth-average of concentration of radioactive materials in water outside the boundaryof the Surrounding Monitored Area shall not exceed the concentration limits fordischarge of liquid radioactive waste. As for reprocessing facilities, it is prescribed that
doses due to discharge of liquid radioactive waste monitored at the outlet to the ocean
shall not exceed the dose limit for 3 months. The rules also stipulate that licensees shallimmediately report to the NRA when any of these limits are exceeded, and report
within 10 days on details of the event and corrective measures taken.
F-4-8 Measures to Mitigate the Effects of an Unplanned or Uncontrolled Releaseof Radioactive Materials into the Environment
Licensees establish in its Operational Safety Program the measures to be taken in theevent of an emergency; these include the steps to be taken in the event of an unplannedor uncontrolled release of radioactive materials into the environment, to control therelease and mitigate its effects.
For example, for reprocessing facilities with a large inventory of radioactive materials,
it is set up that fire and explosion due to fine metal particles from fuel cladding ororganic solvent, criticality accidents, leakage or loss of function due to damage or
failure of equipment or piping, or spent fuel handling failure must not cause the riskof excessive radiation exposure to the public.
73

If a nuclear facility triggers an event prescribed in Article 10 of Act on Special Measures
Concerning Nuclear Emergency Preparedness, i.e. detection of dose more than 5µSv/haround the boundary of the facility, emergency activities will be initiated according to
the procedure in accordance with the said Act. Depending on the impact of the accident,a Declaration of Nuclear Emergency is issued and emergency measures such as
evacuation will be taken. Emergency preparedness is reported in F5.

74

F-5

Emergency Preparedness

Article 25
1. Each Contracting Party shall ensure that before and during operation of a spent fuel orradioactive waste management facility there are appropriate on-site and, if necessary, offsite emergency plans. Such emergency plans should be tested with appropriate frequency.
2. Each Contracting Party shall take the appropriate steps for the preparation and testing of
emergency plans for its territory insofar as it is likely to be affected in the event of aradiological emergency at a spent fuel or radioactive waste management facility in thevicinity of its territory.

F-5-1 Nuclear Emergency Response under the Nuclear Emergency Act
a Precautionary Protective Measures
Based on the Nuclear Emergency Act, nuclear licensees have the responsibility of
preventing occurrence and expansion of a nuclear emergency and taking action forrecovery from a nuclear emergency. Licensees must develop its EPR plan for eachnuclear site and, prior to its development, must consult with the governor and themayor where the nuclear facility is located, as well as to the governors of theneighboring prefectures. After developing the plan, licensees must submit it to thePrime Minster and the NRA and disclose the summary. The Prime Minister and the
NRA may order licensees to make changes to the plan if it is considered to beinadequate for prevention of occurrence or mitigation of a nuclear emergency.
Licensees must establish a nuclear emergency preparedness organization for eachnuclear site, deploy nuclear emergency preparedness personnel, and appoint a nuclear
emergency preparedness manager and a deputy nuclear emergency preparedness
manager. Also the current status of the personnel and the appointment above must be
notified to the NRA. The NRA may order licensees to establish a nuclear emergency
preparedness organization, allocate nuclear emergency preparedness personnel,
appoint or dismiss the nuclear emergency preparedness manager or deputy manager
if they are in violation of these requirement.
Upon occurrence of an event specified in the cabinet order, nuclear emergency
preparedness managers must report it to the Prime Minister, the NRA and thegovernor and head of the city, town or village where the nuclear facility is located, as
75

well as to the governors of the neighboring prefectures. This notification is commonly
called Article 10 Notification because it is required by Article 10 of the Nuclear
Emergency Act. Events subject to Article 10 Notification is called specified events.
Licensees are required to install and maintain the necessary radiation measurement
instruments to enable Article 10 Notification and to have in place the necessary nuclear
emergency prevention equipment for the nuclear emergency preparedness
organization to perform its duties, such as radiation hazard prevention equipment andemergency communication equipment, and to inspect and maintain the equipment.
Radiation measurement instruments installed by licensees are subject to inspection by
the NRA. The Prime Minister or the NRA can order licensees to take necessary actions
if it is considered that licensees are in violation of these requirements. Licensees must
keep a record of the doses detected by the installed radiation measurement instruments
and disclose the record.
The Prime Minister designates a facility for each nuclear site that will be used as thecenter for emergency response actions and post-nuclear emergency actions. Thisfacility is called an Off-site Center. Licensees must provide the Prime Minister with thenecessary documents to take emergency response actions and post-nuclear emergency
actions. The documents will be available at the Off-site Center.
The Government’s emergency exercises are conducted in accordance with the plandeveloped by the Prime Minister.
Licensees must conduct emergency exercises, report the results to the NRA anddisclose the summary. The NRA may order, through consultation with the Prime
Minister, licensees to take action, such as improving the exercise procedures, if theexercises are considered to be inadequate for prevention or mitigation of a nuclear
emergency.
The Nuclear Emergency Act provides for the obligation of other licensees to strive tocooperate. Licensees must strive to cooperate in the event of a nuclear emergency in a
nuclear site of the other licensees by dispatching nuclear emergency preparedness
personnel and providing nuclear emergency response equipment.
b Emergency Response Actions
In Japan, the Prime Minister declares a nuclear emergency situation based on Article76

15 of the Nuclear Emergency Act.
If an event occurs that falls under the category of an emergency, the NRA will
immediately provide the Prime Minister with information on the status of the event,the areas where emergency response actions should be taken, a brief description of theevent, a proposed announcement on what needs to be communicated to residents inthe areas, and proposed instructions on emergency response actions such as evacuationand sheltering. Following this, the Prime Minister will immediately declare a nuclear
emergency.
When a nuclear emergency is declared, the Nuclear Emergency Response
Headquarters will be set up. The Prime Minister will serve as the chief of the Nuclear
Emergency

Response

Headquarters.

The

Headquarters

will

developanimplementation policy for emergency response actions and provide overall
coordination of emergency response actions and post-nuclear emergency actions. In
the area where the nuclear facility is located, local nuclear emergency response
headquarters to perform some of the administrative work of the Headquarters will be
set up.
Following the declaration of a state of nuclear emergency, the emergency response
headquarters of the local government (prefecture, city, town or village) will be set up
in the area where the nuclear facility is located. The local nuclear emergency response
headquarters and the emergency response headquarters of the local government will
set up a Nuclear Emergency Joint Response Meeting to exchange information on the
nuclear emergency and develop cooperation in the implementation of emergency
response actions.
If a specified event, which requires the Article 10 Notification, occurs, the nuclear
emergency preparedness manager must immediately order the nuclear emergency
preparedness organization to take emergency actions to prevention or mitigation of a
nuclear emergency. Licensees must report the summary of the actions to the Prime
Minister, the NRA, the governor and head of the city, town or village where the nuclear
facility is located, as well as to the governors of the neighboring prefectures.
c Post-Nuclear Emergency Measures
Post-nuclear emergency measures include a survey of the concentration, density anddose of radioactive material, medical procedures including a medical examination of77

residents and a mental and physical health consultation, public relations activities toprevent reputational damage, and measures to prevent expansion of the nuclear
emergency or recover from the emergency. For measures following the nuclear
emergency taken by administrative agencies and local governments, licensees musttake actions such as dispatching nuclear emergency preparedness personnel andproviding nuclear emergency response equipment.
F-5-2 Basic Disaster Management Plan
The Central Disaster Management Council formulated a Basic Disaster Management
Plan based on the Disaster Countermeasures Basic Act and the Nuclear Emergency Act.
The Basic Disaster Management Plan is a fundamental plan for the Government’s
disaster prevention measures to respond to various disasters in a comprehensive
manner. In the Basic Disaster Management Plan, the section of nuclear emergency
countermeasures defines basic issues on the nuclear emergency preparedness of theGovernment, licensees and local governments and their responsibility (sharing of
responsibility). NRA EPR Guide applies to specialized and technical issues specific tonuclear emergencies.
Broadly speaking, the following measures are set forth in the Basic Disaster
Management Plan:• Precautionary protective measures: ensuring thesafety offacilities;

disseminating knowledge of disaster prevention; promoting researches on nuclear
emergency prevention etc.; implementing measures to prevent recurrence;
preparing for emergency response actions and recovery from a disaster; preparing
for emergency response to an accident during the transport of nuclear fuel material,
etc. outside a nuclear site
• Emergency response measures: collecting and communicating information
immediately after the occurrence of an emergency; setting up an emergency
contact system and an activity system; activities to provide protection, such as
evacuation and sheltering-in-place, and information; activities to assist the life of
nuclear accident sufferers; maintaining social order, including crime prevention;
securing traffic for emergency transportation and conducting emergency
transportation activities; rescue, first-aid, medical and fire extinguish activities;
activities to procure and supply materials; activities related to health and hygiene;
accepting voluntary support; emergency response to an accident during thetransport of nuclear fuel material etc. outside a nuclear site; response to thecomplex of natural disaster and nuclear accident78• Measures to recover from a disaster: canceling the declaration of a Nuclear
Emergency Situation; measures following the nuclear emergency; assisting
accident sufferers in reconstructing their life etc.; abolition of the Nuclear
Emergency Response Headquarters.
Local governments prepare their respective Local Disaster Management plans(Nuclear Emergency Preparedness Part) based on the Basic Act on Disaster
Management and Act on Special Measures Concerning Nuclear Emergency
Preparedness. Local governments provide basic measures in the plans based on NRA
EPR Guide.
F-5-3 NRA Guide for Emergency Preparedness and Response (NRA EPR Guide)
Under the provisions of the Nuclear Emergency Act, the NRA must develop the NRA
EPR Guide to ensure the smooth implementation of precautionary protective actions,emergency response actions and measures following the nuclear emergency and makethe NRA EPR Guide available to the public without delay.
The purpose of the NRA EPR Guide is to allow licensees, the head of designatedgovernment organizations and designated local government organizations, local
governments, designated public corporations, designated local public corporations,and others to take nuclear emergency actions in a smooth manner. The Guide went into
effect on October 31, 2012 and, since then, they have been revised repeatedly. The goalof the Guide is to ensure the protective actions that avoid or minimize the severe
deterministic health effects delivered by radiation, and reduce the risk of probabilistic
effects towards inhabitants around the nuclear facility in case of emergency.
Described below are the main provisions of the NRA EPR Guide.
F-5-3-1

Preliminary Measures for Nuclear Emergency Preparedness andResponse

a Establishment of the Nuclear Emergency Response Zone
In the event of a nuclear emergency, the magnitude of the impact on the surrounding
environment due to the abnormal release of radioactive material or radiation and thetime until the impact depend on the mode of the abnormal event, the characteristics ofthe facility, the weather conditions, the environmental conditions in the surroundingarea, the living conditions of residents, and other factors.
79

Consequently, it is necessary to take the appropriate action in a flexible mannerdepending on the event that occurred. To take action to protect residents etc. against
radiation exposure efficiently in a short time, it is necessary to, in advance, assume theoccurrence of an unusual event, define areas that may be affected by the event, take
into account factors, such as the characteristics of the facility, and to focus on taking
measures particularly for nuclear emergencies.
Therefore, the Nuclear Disaster Countermeasure Priority Area is basically to beestablished for each facility considering its inherent risk and the degree of potential
impact at the time of accident.
The Nuclear Disaster Countermeasure Priority Area is divided into 2 areas : thePrecautionary Action Zone (PAZ) is the area where precautionary protective actions
such as immediate evacuation shall be prepared before the release of radioactive
material at a level different from the amount of radioactive material released during
normal operation or shutdown in order to avoid or minimize severe deterministic
effects due to radiation exposure even in the rapid progression of accident, and theUrgent Protective Action Planning Zone (UPZ) is an area where emergency protective
actions should be prepared to reduce the risk of stochastic effects.
Out of the main facilities covered in this report, for the reprocessing facilities, the whole
Nuclear Disaster Countermeasure Priority Area is set as the UPZ without the PAZ and
its radius is set as 5 km since the threat assessment based on the IAEA safety standards
demonstrated that there will be no possibility to cause severe deterministic effects
delivered by radiation in off-site areas and that no stochastic effect will be caused
outside a radius of 5 km from the facility.
As for spent fuel storage facilities (facilities which store spent fuel only in dry casks),
radioactive waste disposal facility and waste storage facility, no Nuclear Disaster
Countermeasure Priority Area is required since the threat assessment demonstrated
that no event requiring off-site protective actions is assumed.

b Nuclear Emergency Category and Emergency Action Level (EAL)In Japan, emergency situations are divided into 3 categories: an alert (AL), a site area
emergency (SE) and a general emergency (GE).

80

An AL is a phase in which, in a nuclear facility, even though there are no immediateradiation effects or likeliness of such effects to the public at that point, an unusual event
occurs or may occur and preparations need to be made to collect information, conduct
emergency monitoring and implement protective actions such as the evacuation of
those who need to evacuate in the phase of a SE. In this phase, licensees must
immediately report the occurrence of an event in the AL category and the state of the
facility to the Government. The Government must confirm the occurrence of the AL
event based on the information from licensees and provide it to the local governments,
the public and other stakeholders without delay. The Government and the local
governments must start to prepare for the implementation of relatively timeconsuming protective actions in the PAZ near the nuclear facility.
A SE is a phase in which, in a nuclear facility, an event that may have radiation effects
on the public occurs and preparations need to be made to take main protective actions,such as evacuation in an emergency, in the surrounding area of the facility. In thisphase, licensees must immediately report the occurrence of an event in the SE category
and the state of the facility to the central government and the local governments. Also,
it shall take necessary emergency measures to prevent the occurrence or spread of
nuclear disasters and report on the outline of such measures. The Government must
confirm the occurrence of the SE, and provide information to the local governments,
the public and other stakeholders without delay. The Government, the local
governments and licensees must enhance the information collection activities to grasp
the development of the event by emergency monitoring and other means and, mainlyin the PAZ, must prepare for the implementation of precautionary protective actions,such as the evacuation of basically all residents, etc., and evacuate those who need toevacuate in the phase of a SE.
A GE is a phase in which, in a nuclear facility, an event that is very likely to haveradiation effects on the public occurs and protective actions need to be taken promptly
to avoid or minimize the severe deterministic health effects and reduce the risk of theprobabilistic effects. In this phase, licensees must immediately report the occurrence ofan event in the GE category and the state of the facility to the Government and the local
governments. In addition, licensees shall take necessary emergency measures toprevent the occurrence or expand of nuclear disasters and report on the outline of suchmeasures. The Government must confirm the occurrence of the GE and provide
information to the local governments, the public and other stakeholders without delay.
The Government and the local governments must take precautionary protective actions81

in the PAZ, such as the evacuation of basically all residents and the administration of
stable iodine. In the UPZ, sheltering must be implemented and as in the PAZ,
precautionary protective actions, such as evacuation, need to be taken, depending on
the scale and the temporal development of the event.
As for the nuclear power plants, the EAL, which is used to determine the nuclear
emergency category, is defined in the NRA EPR Guide for each of the 3 emergency
categories and for each of the 3 reactor types (BWR, PWR and FBR), as well as for
TEPCO Fukushima Daiichi units 1 to 4, and for the condition that no nuclear fuelmaterial exists in the reactor vessel, as in the case of a reactor under decommissioning.
Following EALs are provided concerning spent fuel management facilities andradioactive waste management facility, which is the scope of this Joint Convention.

82

Table F5-1
Alert (AL)

Site
Area
Emergency(SE)

EAL of Reprocessing Facilities

1

In case of boiling the (liquid) solution when the function described inarticle 35 of the NRA Ordinance On Standards for the Location, Structure,and Equipment of Reprocessing Facilities (NRA Ordinance No.27, 2013)
is lost.
2
In case the power supply from all the AC bus is lost, and the situation
continues for 30 minutes or more.
3
The water level of the spent fuel storage pool cannot be maintained, andthe water level of the storage pool cannot be measured for a period longer
than the limited value.
4
The control room environment deteriorates, and the possibility to makethe obstacle for the operation and the control of the reprocessing facilities
are caused.
5
The function of the equipment for the communication inside the facility
or function of a part of communication equipment between inside andoutside of the facilities are lost.
6
There is possibility of loss of a part of the function of safety equipment
due to fire, explosion or flooding in the vital area.
7
There is possibility of explosion by the hydrogen in the cell, or fire or
explosion by the organic solvent etc. is caused or has a risk to be caused,
when the safety function described in the article 1-3 of the NRA
Ordinance on Standards for the Location, Structure, and Equipment of
Reprocessing Facilities is lost.
8
There is high possibility of the status that the management of nuclear fuelmaterial by the geometry control, by the mass control and other methods
is damaged or lost and other high possibility of criticality in the
reprocessing facilities.
9
In case the earthquake of Japanese seismic scale is 6th or bigger occurs in
the city, town or village where the nuclear installation site is located.
10 In case the high tsunami warning is announced in the sea district foralarm including the nuclear installations.
11 In case a significant failure etc. of the reprocessing facilities concerned
causes which the responsible person on site decides the need forprecaution.
12 In case an external event which exceeds the design basis decided in the
new safety regulatory requirements occurs. (tornado, flooding, typhoon,and eruption of volcano, etc.).
13 In case the Chairman or the deputy judges to the necessity to establish thenuclear emergency alert headquarters when a risk which the event causedby other than reprocessing facilities might influence on the reprocessing
facilities.
1
The water level of spent fuel pool reaches to the level of 2 meters up fromthe top of the irradiated fuel assemblies.
2
It becomes impossible to use the Main Control Room3
All the function of equipment for the communication in the nuclear site

83

4
5
6
7

8

GeneralEmergency
(GE)

1

2
3
4

5

6

or all functions of the equipment for the communication between insideand outside of the nuclear site are lost.
A part of function of safety equipment etc. is lost due to fire, explosion or
flooding.
The radioactive material leaks out the building from the cell.
The nuclear fuel material reaches critical in the reprocessing facilities.
In case the radiation dose rate described in the article 10 of the Act on
Special Measures Concerning Nuclear Emergency preparedness exceeds
the limitation or the radioactive material described in the act is detected
at the site boundary of the nuclear installation. (The case of transport tothe outside of the nuclear installation is excluded).
The event which the protection measures need to be prepared or a part ofprotection measures need to be started causes around the nuclear
installation, which there is a possibility radioactive materials or radiationis released to the outside of the nuclear installation, for example, the event
resulted by other than reprocessing facilities.
In case of boiling continues when the function described in article 35 of
the NRA Ordinance On Standards for the Location, Structure, andEquipment of Reprocessing Facilities (NRA Ordinance No.27, 2013) lostand volatilized radioactive materials is generated or may be generated.
In case of the water level of spent fuel pool decrease to the top of theirradiated spent fuel assemblies.
In case of large volume of radioactive material is released to the building
from the cell.
The nuclear fuel material reach criticality (status the chain reaction of
nuclear fission is maintained) inside the facility for the reactor operation(excluding the reactor core).
In case the radiation dose rate described in the article 15 of the Act on
Special Measures Concerning Nuclear Emergency Preparedness exceeds
the limitation or the radioactive material described in the act is detected
at the site boundary of the nuclear site. (The case of transport to theoutside of the nuclear installation is excluded).
Events where the sheltering of the resident around the nuclear site need
to be started due to abnormal level of radioactive materials or radiation
release or its possibility, for example, the case where a reprocessing
facility is impacted by events occurred around the reprocessing facility.

84

Table F5-2

EAL of Spent Fuel Storage Facility that Uses Dry Cask to Store Spent
Fuel, Waste Disposal Facility and Waste Management Facility

Alert (AL)

1
2
3
4

Site
Area
Emergency
(SE)

1

2

GeneralEmergency
(GE)

1

2

In case the earthquake of Japanese seismic scale is 6th or bigger occurs in
the city, town or village where the nuclear installation site is located.
In case the high tsunami warning is announced in the sea district foralarm including the nuclear installations.
In case a significant failure etc. of the facilities concerned causes which the
responsible person on site decides the need for precaution.
In case the Chairman or the deputy judges to the necessity to establish thenuclear emergency alert headquarters when a risk which the event causedby other than the facility might influence on the facility.
In case the radiation dose rate described in the article 10 of the Act on
Special Measures Concerning Nuclear Emergency preparedness exceeds
the limitation or the radioactive material described in the act is detected
at the site boundary of the nuclear site. (The case of transport to theoutside of the nuclear site is excluded).
The event which the protection measures need to be prepared or a part ofprotection measures need to be started causes around the nuclear site,which there is a possibility radioactive materials or radiation is released
to the outside of the nuclear site, for example, the event resulted by otherthan a nuclear facility.
In case the radiation dose rate described in the article 15 of the Act on
Special Measures Concerning Nuclear Emergency Preparedness exceeds
the limitation or the radioactive material described in the act is detected
at the site boundary of the nuclear installation. (The case of transport tothe outside of the nuclear installation is excluded).
Events where the sheltering of the resident around the nuclear site need
to be started due to abnormal level of radioactive materials or radiation
release or its possibility, for example, the case where the facility isimpacted by events occurred around the facility.

c Operational Intervention Level (OIL)
In a GE, after release of radioactive material, due to the spread of the radioactive
material, there are likely to be found places with a high air dose rate in a relatively wide
area. To prepare for such an event, the Government, the local governments andlicensees need to conduct emergency monitoring promptly, determine the necessary
protective actions to be taken by evaluating the monitoring results against the criteria
for the implementation of protective actions and take the actions.
After release of radioactive material, in areas where the high air dose rate iscontinuously measured, urgent protective actions, such as the evacuation of residents,
will be taken within a few hours to a day to minimize the impact of radiation exposure
85

from the ground surface. In areas where the relatively low air dose rate is measured,
early protective actions, such as temporary relocation, will be taken within a week toavoid unnecessary exposure.
Operational Intervention Levels (OILs), which are generally indicated by measurable
values, such as the air dose rate and the concentration of radioactive material inenvironmental samples, are specified as the criteria for determining whether these
protective actions should be taken. Table F5-3 shows the relationship between the OILs
and the protective actions.
Table F5-3

OILs and Protective Actions

Classification

Description

Default Values

Outline of Protective
actions

OIL1

Urgentprotective
actions

OIL4

Early
protective
actions

OIL2

Restriction
on intakeof foodand drink

Food anddrink
screening
standards(corresponding to OIL3)

Criteria for advising local
residents to evacuate or to
shelter in place within a few
hours, in order to prevent
radiation impact fromground surface, inhalationof re-suspended radioactive
material, or inadvertentingestion intake

500μSv/h(air radiation dose rate
when measured 1m
above the ground)

Criteria for conducting
decontamination to prevent
inadvertent ingestion intake
and external exposure via
skin contamination

βrays:40,000 cpm(Counting ratemeasured by detector
at several centimeters
off the skin)
βrays:13,000 cpm(Value
1 month later)(Counting ratemeasured by detector
at several cm off theskin)

Criteria for restricting
ingestion of local products
and advising local residents,
to temporarily relocate
within a week or so, inorder to prevent radiation
impact from groundsurface, inhalation of resuspended radioactive
material, or inadvertentingestion intake
Criteria for identifying areas
where measurement ofradionuclide concentrations
in food and drink should be
carried out in preparation
for possible food and drink
restrictions at OIL6

86

20μSv/h(Air radiation dose ratemeasured at 1m fromground)0.5μSv/h(Air radiation dose ratemeasured at 1m fromground)Identification of zones
within a few hours andsubsequent evacuation(including ordering
those who cannot
easily move to shelterindoors temporarily)

Contamination
screening of those who
are ordered evacuation
or relocation andprompt primarydecontamination when
the results exceed thecriteria

Identification of zones
within a day or so andrestriction of ingestionof local products, aswell as temporary
relocation within aweek or so

Identification of zones
where radionuclide
concentrations in foodand drink should bemeasuredClassification

Description

Default Values

Outline of Protective
actions

NuclideOIL6

Criteria when restricting
food and drink intake inorder to prevent radiation
exposure via ingestion
intakeRadioactive
iodineRadioactive
cesiumAn alpha
radioactive
nuclide ofplutoniumandtransuranicelements
Uranium

Drinking
water,
milk,
dairy
produ
cts
300Bq
/kg
200Bq
/kg

Vegetables,cereals,
meat,
eggs,
fish,
other
2,000Bq/
kg
500Bq/kg

1Bq/kg

10Bq/kg

20Bq/
kg

100Bq/kg

Screening and analysisof radionuclide
concentrations in foodand drink within aweek, and prompt
restrictions on foodand drink intake if
results exceed thecriteria

d Development of an Emergency Monitoring System
In an emergency, information on the air dose rate from radioactive material in theenvironment, the concentration of airborne radioactive material and the concentrationof radioactive material in environmental samples provides the basis for appropriately
implementing protective actions for residents and those engaged in disaster prevention
work. Measures will be taken to prevent loss of the emergency monitoring function.
In the implementation of emergency monitoring, the Government will supervise
emergency monitoring; develop an implementation policy; develop a plan for
conducting emergency monitoring and a mobilization plan; provide instructions on theimplementation of the monitoring and overall coordination; collect and disclose data;
evaluate the results of the monitoring and change the implementation plan as the event
develops; and conduct wide-area monitoring such as marine monitoring and aerial
monitoring. The local governments will develop the emergency monitoring plan andconduct emergency monitoring in nuclear emergency planning zones. Licensees will
provide information on the source of the radioactive material released and cooperatein emergency monitoring in the surrounding area of the facility and other areas.
If the situation develops into a site area emergency, the Government will set up an
Emergency Monitoring Center in the Off-site Center with the necessary functions to
conduct emergency monitoring in the area where the nuclear facility is located, so that
the Government, the local governments and licensees can work together to conduct
emergency monitoring.
The Emergency Monitoring Center consists of the Government, the prefecture where
87the nuclear facility is located, the neighboring prefectures, the designated publicorganizations, licensees, and supporting organizations, and is responsible forcollecting information on environmental radiation levels due to the nuclear emergency
and providing information to be used to determine whether OIL-based protective
actions should be taken and information to be used to evaluate radiation effects fromthe nuclear emergency on the residents, etc. and the environment.
e Development of Medical Care in a Nuclear Emergency
A medical care to allow specified first-aid emergency health care institutions to provide
health care in a nuclear emergency and a chain of command are in place even undernormal circumstances to provide necessary health care activities quickly and accurately
in a nuclear emergency. Those described below are put in place: “Nuclear Emergency
Core Hospital” which accepts those who get injured regardless of contamination andprovide appropriate care in case of exposure; “ Nuclear Emergency Medical
Cooperative Institution ”

which supports medical care and nuclear emergency

response actions implemented by local governments; “ Advanced Radiation
Emergency Medical Support Center ” which provides advanced and specialized
medical care that could not be provided at Nuclear Emergency Core Hospital andprovide advanced and specialized education and training; “Core Advanced Radiation
Emergency Medical Support Center” which assumes a central and leading role among
Advanced Radiation Emergency Medical Support Centers; and “Nuclear Emergency
Medical Support Center” which supports Nuclear Emergency Medical Core Hospitals
and build networks within related medical institutions in ordinary times as well as
make arrangements for dispatching nuclear emergency assistance medical teams in a
nuclear emergency.
The Government designates the Core Advanced Radiation Emergency Medical
Support Centers, Advanced Radiation Emergency Medical Support Centers andNuclear Emergency Medical Support Centers, and reviews them for compliance withthe facility requirements basically every 3 years. The prefecture and the city, town orvillage within Priority Area for Nuclear Disaster Prevention Measures designates andregisters Nuclear Emergency Core Hospitals and Nuclear Emergency Medical
Cooperative Institutions, and review them for compliance with the facility
requirements basically every 3 years.

88f

Intake of Stable Iodine

In order to prevent or reduce internal exposure to thyroid from radioiodine in a nuclear
emergency, intake of stable iodine at an appropriate timing is important. Thus, in PAZ,
immediate evacuation and intake of stable iodine are to be executed as precautionary
protective actions in the event of general emergency. For this purpose, in PAZ,
providing stable iodine at ordinary times is implemented.
In UPZ, sheltering-in-place is taken as a protective action in the event of generalemergency. The NRA determines the need for intake of stable iodine along with theneed for evacuation or temporary relocation according to the facility status or
emergency monitoring results, then accordingly residents are to take stable iodine
based on the instruction of the Nuclear Emergency Response Headquarters or local
governments. For this purpose, in UPZ, providing stable iodine at schools orcommunity centers on the way of evacuation or temporary relocation is put in place.
Even in UPZ, for areas where protective immediate evacuation may be needed in thesame way as in PAZ, providing stable iodine in preparation could be implemented in
the same manner as in PAZ when local governments determine that it is necessary.
g Setting-up of an Off-Site Center
The Local Nuclear Emergency Response Headquarters of the Government and theEmergency Response Headquarters of the local governments set up a Nuclear
Emergency Joint Response Meeting to exchange information in the event of a nuclear
emergency and an Off-site Center as a center for implementing nuclear emergency
response actions in a coordinated manner in the area where the nuclear facility is
located.
The Off-site Center is located in an area, considering the guidelines for PAZ and UPZ
and has the necessary systems in place to maintain its function as the primaryemergency facility to take the necessary actions for radiation protection and emergency
actions such as alternative facility and multiple lines of communication channels.
F-5-3-2

Emergency Response Measuresa Comprehending an Unusual State and Taking Emergency Response Actions
Upon being informed of an AL or SE by licensees, the Government and the local
governments will start to prepare for the implementation of protective actions towards
89

a GE and provide information to residents.
Upon being informed of a GE by licensees, residents in the PAZ will be required toevacuate and residents in the UPZ will be required to take precautionary protective
actions, such as sheltering, in principle. If an abnormal level of radioactive material isreleased or likely to be released from the nuclear facility, residents in areas other thanthose where precautionary preventive actions are taken will shelter in place as neededin consideration of the condition of the facility and the release of radioactive material.
Based on the results of emergency monitoring, protective actions are implemented,
such as evacuation, temporary relocation, and restrictions on eating and drinking, also
in areas other than those where precautionary protective actions were taken.
bEmergency Monitoring

In the event of an alert, the Government, the local governments, licensees, and therelevant designated public organizations will prepare for emergency monitoring. In
the event of a site area emergency, the Government will set up an Emergency
Monitoring Center, make a request for the necessary personnel under the mobilization
plan and start emergency monitoring.
c Evacuation, Temporary Relocation and Sheltering-in-Place
If an abnormal level of radioactive material and radiation are released or likely to bereleased into the surrounding area of the nuclear facility, depending on the nuclear
disaster countermeasure priority area, in principle, all residents in the PAZ will be
required to evacuate immediately, and residents in the UPZ will be required to shelterin place when the situation develops into a GE. Subsequently, a phased-evacuation will
be considered depending on the state of the nuclear facility. In addition, afterradioactive material are released, areas exceeding OIL 1 will be identified based on
emergency monitoring within a few hours and residents will be evacuatedsubsequently, and areas exceeding OIL 2 will be identified within a day or so andresidents will be temporarily relocated subsequently.
In the event of a GE, depending on the disaster countermeasure priority area,
evacuation will be implemented in the PAZ in principle. However, sheltering will be
implemented if it is more appropriate than evacuation. In the UPZ, sheltering-in-place
will be implemented until a phased-evacuation or other OIL-based protective actions
are taken as a matter of principle.
90F-5-4 Nuclear Emergency Exercises
With regard to nuclear emergency exercises, there are various kinds including the one
conducted by the Government based on the Nuclear Emergency Act, the one by local
administrative agencies based on the Disaster Countermeasures Basic Act. To check theeffectiveness of emergency response systems in accordance with the Nuclear Emergency
Act, previously, nuclear emergency exercises were carried out by themselves or jointly
by the national and local governments and nuclear operators. However, lessons learned
from TEPCO Fukushima Daiichi NPS accident, these exercises are under review. Future
exercises must now incorporate lessons learned from TEPCO Fukushima Daiichi NPS
accident, including the possibility of an unprecedented complex earthquake-tsunaminuclear accident disaster, as well as incorporating more realistic evacuation exercises.
The following describes about training regarding mainly on facilities of concern in thisreport. In addition, the training (Comprehensive Nuclear Disaster Prevention Drill)
jointly conducted by the Government, local governments, nuclear licensees, has been
conducted mainly for nuclear power reactors. The most recent drill was carried out for
3 days in November 2019 in Shimane region, which was concerning establishing an
initial system promptly, decision making about radiation protection cooperation withcentral and local organizations, residents relocation to the inside and outside of theprefecture, and indoor evacuation.
Also, in 2020, the Comprehensive Nuclear Disaster Prevention Drill is planned in the
Onagawa area, which is the affected area by the Great East Japan Earthquake.

F-5-4-1

Exercises Planned by Licensees

In accordance with the Nuclear Emergency Act, licensees must conduct nuclear
emergency exercises, report the results of the exercises to the NRA and disclose thesummary.
Activities in the exercises of licensees include scenario without pre-shared training andsharing of good practice through mutual visits of licensees.
For example, in reprocessing facilities, individual training programs on individual
procedures to improve the skills to perform work procedures and a comprehensive91

training program that combines several individual training programs are conducted.
The individual training programs include, for example, reporting training to ensurethat licensees can promptly communicate with the related organizations inside andoutside; familiarization training to respond severe accident to ensure that upon nuclear
emergency, emergency actions to secure power supply and water sources will be taken
in a prompt and appropriate manner; rescue training to ensure that those who get
injured will be taken out of a controlled area, decontaminated and treated; andevacuation instruction training to ensure that visitors will be instructed to evacuate
upon emergency and those other than the emergency response personnel will be
instructed to evacuate when a state of emergency is declared.
In the comprehensive training program, more extensive training is conducted with theparticipation of the facility as well as the head office. For example, in a facility, training
is provided on reporting, rescue, monitoring, evacuation instructions, and severe
accident response. In the head office, training is provided on setting up a nuclear site
emergency support center and media relations.
The Nuclear Emergency Act requires that a nuclear operator reports the results ofemergency exercises to the NRA. The NRA may order, through consultation with thePrime Minister, licensees to improve the drill procedures and take other necessary
actions if the results of the exercises are determined not to be adequate for preventing
occurrence or development of a nuclear disaster. The Basic Plan on Disaster
Preparedness states that the NRA will evaluate the results of exercises for severe
accidents. The NRA developed indices for the evaluation of nuclear operator
emergency exercises and evaluates the exercises, opens to the public to lead to the
future development by taking opportunities such as the Nuclear Energy Disaster
Prevention Drill.

F-5-4-2

Exercises Drawn Up by the Local Governments

Local governments should put the drills into effect periodically based on Disaster
Countermeasures Basic Act.
In the drills conducted by the relevant prefectures, the local governments (including
the governor), the bodies in charge of field response, such as police, fire services, theJapan Coast Guard and Japan Self-Defense Forces, and nuclear operator should
92

participate usually. And, some exercises on evacuation of residents or screening tests
for evacuation from emergency zones are carried out with the bodies in charge of field
response.
Besides, national government conducts several training (for the beginners, for driversof transport services, e.g. bus drivers, for nuclear emergency preparedness headquarter
staff) and table top exercises at headquarter are carried out for local government organs
personnel who are in charge of nuclear emergency preparedness.
F-5-4-3

Participation in International Exercises

Japan is a Contracting Party to the Convention on Early Notification of a Nuclear
Accident, and the Convention on Assistance in the Case of a Nuclear Accident orRadiological Emergency. Pursuant to the provisions of these conventions, andnotification is provided without fail in an emergency, Japan consistently participatesin the Convention Exercise (ConvEx) organized by the IAEA.
F-5-5 Information Dissemination to the Public and Neighboring Countries
F-5-5-1

Measures for Providing Information to the Public

As one of the examples of enhancing information dissemination of disastermanagement plans to the public, Japan conducts emergency exercises at national andlocal levels targeting local residents. At emergency exercises, the residents in the areas
likely to require evacuation will conduct evacuation as well as radiation survey.
Furthermore, local authorities explain a disaster management plans to the residents
prior to the exercises.
The former nuclear regulatory organization, NISA, launched its emergency
information mailing service in July 2008 enabling people to register their mobile phonee-mail address in advance and promptly receive emergency information. This system
was inherited by the NRA in September 2012 (and is now called N-alert). During a
nuclear emergency, the media will provide information to local residents. Press
briefings, covered in television and radio broadcasts, will be held as required at the
local Off-site Centers and at the Emergency Response Center in Tokyo.
Besides, websites will be utilized as one of the means for information dissemination
to the public.
93F-5-5-2

Providing Information to Neighboring Countries

Japan is an island nation surrounded by ocean in East Asia, and shares no land borders
with any countries. However, since its neighboring countries – China and South Korea– also possess reactor facilities, it is important for the three countries to share
information in case of a nuclear accident from the lessons learned from TEPCO
Fukushima Daiichi NPS accident. In order to make an information sharing framework,
the three regulatory authorities inaugurated the Top Regulator’s Meeting on Nuclear
Safety (TRM), a meeting among senior regulators among Japan, China and South Korea
in August 2008. In 2015, the three countries organized Working Group on Emergency
Preparedness and Response to establish a system for sharing emergency information,and smooth information sharing under emergency circumstances. By taking theopportunity of disaster prevention drills of respective countries, the three countries
have also been conducting Joint Emergency Drill since 2017.
Besides the aforementioned framework among the three countries, as its existing tool
for provision of information, Japan has been actively disseminating information within
the framework of the United System for Information Exchange in Incidents andEmergencies (USIE) which is managed by the IAEA Incident and Emergency Centre.
F-5-5-3

Response in the Event of a Nuclear Accident or Radiological Emergency
in a Neighboring Country

To implement the provisions of the Convention on Early Notification of a Nuclear
Accident and the Convention on Assistance in the Case of a Nuclear Accident orRadiological Emergency, Japan has designated the MOFA as the National Warning
Point and National Competent Authority for an Emergency Abroad for the event of a
nuclear accident or radiological emergency occurring outside the territory of Japan. In
the event of a radiological emergency outside the territory of Japan, including that in aneighboring country, MOFA will receive the notification provided through all kinds ofchannels, share it immediately with the National Competent Authority for a Domestic
Emergency and other relevant authorities, and take any necessary action.
In relation to the Convention on Assistance in the Case of a Nuclear Accident orRadiological Emergency, the National Assistance Capabilities of relevant organizations
within Japan have been registered in the IAEA Response Assistance Network (RANET),and Japan satisfies the Article 2 Section 4 of the Convention on Assistance.

94

F-6

Decommissioning

Article 26
Each Contracting Party shall take the appropriate steps to ensure the safety ofdecommissioning of a nuclear facility. Such steps shall ensure that:(i) qualified staff and adequate financial resources are available;(ii) the provisions of Article 24 with respect to operational radiation protection, discharges
and unplanned and uncontrolled releases are applied;(iii) the provisions of Article 25 with respect to emergency preparedness are applied; and(iv) records of information important to decommissioning are kept

F-6-1 Human and Financial Resources
F-6-1-1

Human Resources

The NRA approves Decommissioning Plan established by nuclear licensees who
intend to start decommissioning and Operational Safety Program which has beenchanged due to decommissioning start. This Operational Safety Program clarifies thestaff, organization and its responsibilities or its authorities necessary to ensure thesafety of decommissioning. It also describes the establishment and implementation of
Implementation Plan of Operational Safety Education for workers and managers
including subcontractors, which ensures a system for workers to acquire knowledge
necessary for operational safety management is guaranteed. The NRA checks safety
activities of licensees, including conformity to Operational Safety Program in Nuclear
Regulatory Inspection.
F-6-1-2

Financial Resources

Electric utilities have deposited funds for decommissioning of commercial powerreactors using the Dismantling Reserve Funds. (See Section B)
F-6-2 Radiation Protection
The regulations on radiation protection applied to operating nuclear facilities which
are described in Article 24 (Section F4), are also applicable to nuclear facilities in theprocess of being decommissioned.

95

F-6-3 Emergency Preparedness
Nuclear facilities under decommissioning are required, in compliance with the Act on
Special Measures Concerning Nuclear Emergency Preparedness, to prepare for the
emergency unless the NRA confirms, specifies and excludes them from the obligation.
F-6-4 Preservation of Records for Critical Information on Decommissioning
Even in the decommissioning period, it is obligatory to keep records including
inspection records of equipment and radiation management records in line with therecords on operational stages. Furthermore, particularly to decommissioning, therecords related to decommissioning are specified in the NRA Ordinances on
Commercial Power Reactors. Licensees are obliged to make and store records on
method, period and the name of equipment decommissioned, as each process of
decommissioning work is finished.
This makes licensees to keep records showing that the decommissioning was carriedout properly, and enables the NRA to confirm that the decommissioning was carriedout without any safety problems and that the decommissioning based on thedecommissioning plan was completed.
F-6-5 Measures for Decommissioning to Require Special Attention for Safety
For decommissioning which requires special attention for safety, the NRA sets up a
Safety Oversight Team to continuously confirm licensees’ activities to secure safety.
For example, the said teams have been established for the decommissioning of JAEA’s
Prototype Fast Breeder Reactor Monju where nuclear fuel has still been loaded andspecial care is needed for handling sodium as coolant, and for the decommissioning of
JAEA’s Reprocessing Plant, namely Tokai Reprocessing Plant, where vitrification ofhigh-level radioactive liquid waste which contains highly concentrated radioactive
materials has been left undone.
The Oversight Team for “Monju” established in January 2017 has conducted review ofa decommissioning plan and hearing on the status of removal of nuclear fuelassemblies through meetings. The Oversight Team has also carried out field
investigation at site.
The Oversight Team for “Tokai Reprocessing Plant” established in January 2016 has
96

conducted review of a decommissioning plan, hearing on implementation status ofvitrification etc. to reduce risk and confirmation on countermeasures against tsunami
and earthquake etc.

97Section G Safety of Spent Fuel Management
Japan declared that reprocessing is a part of spent fuel management (see Section C).
According to this declaration and Article 2 of the Joint Convention, storage at nuclear
reactors, spent fuel interim storage business and reprocessing business in Japancorrespond to the spent fuel management.
In this report, safety of spent fuel interim storage facility and reprocessing facility where
the main purpose of business is spent fuel management, is described.
The Reactor Regulation Act stipulates requirements on Permit of Business for its start,
Approval of Design and Construction Plan prior to construction work, Licensees’
obligation on conducting Pre-service Inspection and Periodic Inspection, Approval ofOperational Safety Program and Nuclear Regulatory Inspection by the NRA for
reprocessing and spent fuel interim storage. Under the said Act, regulatory requirements
are established as the NRA Ordinance: Licensing Standards for the stage of Permit ofBusiness, and Technical Standards for the stage of Approval of Design and Construction
Plan.
In this report, Section G3 describes regulation on Permit of Business; Section G4 mainlyon Approval of Design and Construction Plan; Section G5 on safety assessment both in
the process of Permit of Business and Approval of Design and Construction Plan; andSection G6 on Licensee’s Pre-service Inspection and Licensee’s Periodic Inspection,
Approval of Operational Safety Program and Nuclear Regulatory Inspection by the
NRA.
In Japan, 2 reprocessing facilities have obtained Permit of Business.
Reprocessing is a process of retrieving uranium and mixed uranium-plutonium oxide asuseful material by shearing, dissolving and chemically separating uranium, plutonium
and fission products from spent fuel after the certain period of storage inside the NPPs
and reprocessing facilities. Retrieved uranium is reused for uranium fuel and mixed
uranium-plutonium oxide is reused for MOX fuel.
JNFL Rokkasho Reprocessing Facility obtained Permit of Business in 1992 and its spent
fuel storage facility has already completed in 1999 and begun its operation as reported
in B2-1. The reprocessing facility is now under Pre-service Inspection. Licensees
98submitted the application for permission to Change of Business in January 2014
following the enforcement of the new regulatory requirements in December 2013. After
review meetings and amendments of the application, the NRA permitted theamendment of Business Permit in July 2020. Separated fission products are vitrified ashigh level radioactive waste, and transuranic waste and low level radioactive waste are
generated through manufacturing processes. The safety on these reprocessing facilities
are reported in this section, and the disposal of radioactive waste including from
reprocessing facilities are stated in Section H.
MOX fuel facility located next to Rokkasho Reprocessing Facility is now underconformity review. JAEA Tokai Reprocessing Facility is under decommissioning as
mentioned in Section D5-3 and F6-5.

99

Figure G-1

Outline of Safety Regulation Flow for Spent Fuel Interim Storage
Business and Reprocessing Business

Basic
DesignPermit of BusinessStage

Approval of Design andConstruction Plan

Design･Construction

Approval of Operational Safety

Stage

ProgramLicensee’s Pre-service Inspection
Nuclear
Regulatory

使

Licensee’s Periodic Inspection

Operation

Inspection

Stage
Licensee’s Periodic Safety Review＊1

用

Approval of Decommissioning
Plan

Decommissioning
Stage

Confirmation of Termination of
Decommissioning＊1：spent fuel interim storage business
Evaluation of the implementation status of operational safety activities and evaluation of the reflection
status of the latest technical knowledge in operational safety activities / periodically not exceeding 10 years
after the start date of activity
reprocessing business
Periodic Safety Assessment of Continuous Improvement of reprocessing facilities / periodically notexceeding 6 months after the start date of use of facility or the end date of periodic inspection100G-1 General Safety Requirements
Article 4
Each Contracting Party shall take the appropriate steps to ensure that at all stages of spent
fuel management, individuals, society and the environment are adequately protected against
radiological hazards.
In so doing, each Contracting Party shall take the appropriate steps to:(i)ensure that criticality and removal of residual heat generated during spent fuelmanagement are adequately addressed;(ii)

ensure that the generation of radioactive waste associated with spent fuel management is
kept to the minimum practicable, consistent with the type of fuel cycle policy adopted;(iii) take into account interdependencies among the different steps in spent fuel management;(iv) provide for effective protection of individuals, society and the environment, by applying
at the national level suitable protective methods as approved by the regulatory body, inthe framework of its national legislation which has due regard to internationally endorsed
criteria and standards;(v)take into account the biological, chemical and other hazards that may be associated withspent fuel management;(vi) strive to avoid actions that impose reasonably predictable impacts on future generations
greater than those permitted for the current generation;(vii) aim to avoid imposing undue burdens on future generations.
G-1-1 Prevention of Criticality and the Removal of the Residual Heat
Licensees of spent fuel interim storage business are required that spent fuel interim
storage facility shall have adequate measures so that spent fuel is not at risk of reachinga state of criticality in compliance with regulatory requirements set by the NRA.
Licensees are also required to adequately remove decay heat of the spent fuel with
passive system.
For equipment with safety functions in reprocessing facilities, measures to prevent
nuclear fuel material from reaching criticality must be taken by way of managing
geometries of components that contain nuclear fuel material, managing concentration,
mass or isotopic composition of nuclear fuel material, or managing geometries,
concentration or material of neutron-absorber, or by way of combining these, or by anyother appropriate means so that there is no risk that nuclear fuel material may reach101

criticality in the event of any single failure or malfunction of component or single
operational error thereof by an operator occurring in any single unit for handling
nuclear fuel material, which are anticipated during operation in compliance withregulatory requirements set by the NRA.
And for facilities have safety functions, in case of 2 or more single units are located,measures to prevent nuclear fuel material from reaching criticality must be taken by
way of maintaining proper layout of respective single units, using neutron shielding
between respective single units or by way of combining these so that eliminate
possibility of nuclear fuel material may reach criticality in the event of any single failure
or malfunction of component or single operational error thereof by an operator, which
are anticipated during operation.
On criticality, measures are required assuming severe accidents in addition to
designing facilities with safety functions. As measures against severe accident
concerning criticality, facilities that have a function to prevent criticality in a cell musthave•

equipment necessary to achieve and maintain subcritical state;•equipment necessary to isolate the flow path of ventilation ducts connected tothe equipment at which a criticality accident occurred;•equipment necessary to discharge radioactive material outside of the ducts

installed within the cell in the case where the inside of the ducts are pressurized;•

equipment necessary to mitigate the impact due to discharge of radioactive

material in the event of a criticality accident.
Regarding heat removal, spent fuel receiving and storage facilities in a reprocessing
plant are required to remove decay heat of spent fuel safely, and product storage
facilities are required to be constructed in such a way that decay heat can be removed
safely in compliance with the NRA Ordinance.
G-1-2 Minimizing Generation of Radioactive Waste
The NRA hosted the IAEA’s IRRS mission in January 2016 and its follow-up mission
in January 2020. In those processes, the NRA decided to urge licensees to take necessary
actions voluntarily to realize considerations on decommissioning of the facility andmeasures to control the generation of radioactive waste from the design phase statedin the IAEA safety standards.
Specifically, the NRA will issue a technical document explaining design examples to102

consider minimizing generation of radioactive waste and incorporate them into theimplementation of Decommissioning Policy explained in Section E-2-2 and the newinspection system so that licensees are encouraged to take proactive actions.
G-1-3 Interdependence in Different Stage of Spent Fuel Management
Spent fuel is stored in spent fuel storage facilities at nuclear power plant for a certain
period after it is taken out of the reactor core and is under regulation for nuclear
reactors. The period for spent fuel to be stored in spent fuel interim storage facility after
transported is stipulated as spent fuel interim storage business, and the period forspent fuel to be stored and reprocessed in reprocessing facility is stipulated as
reprocessing activity. All the regulations for nuclear reactors, for spent fuel interim
storage business and for reprocessing business are based on the Reactor Regulation Act,and the consistent regulation is conducted without being interrupted, considering thatvarious steps of spent fuel management are dependent mutually.
G-1-4 Effective Protection of Individuals, Society and the Environment
The Atomic Energy Basic Act aims to contribute to protecting people's lives, health,and property, and preserving the environment through ensuring safety based on theestablished international standards.
The Reactor Regulation Act aims to protect people’s lives, health and property andpreserve the environment through necessary regulation in accordance with the spiritof the Atomic Energy Basic Act. Its objective include ensuring public safety by
preventing hazards resulting from nuclear source material, nuclear fuel material andnuclear reactors. Thus the Reactor Regulation Act stipulates necessary requirements sothat individuals, society and the environment can be protected appropriately byimplementing them.
G-1-5 Consideration for Biological, Chemical and Other Risk Associated with
Spent Fuel Management
For spent fuel interim storage facility in Japan, regulatory requirements set by the NRA
requires prevention of damage due to external impact such as natural phenomenon.
Moreover, for reprocessing facility, regulatory requirements set by the NRA requiresthat safety function may not be impaired due to a leak of chemicals, and requires theprevention of damage by fire and/or explosion by organic solvent, other flammable103liquid or hydrogen, and damage by the external impact such as natural phenomenon.
G-1-6 Avoidance of Impacts on Future Generation
As reported in G1-3, for a certain period of time after being removed from the core at
the nuclear installation, after being stored in the nuclear installation, it is transported
to the spent fuel storage facility for storage and is stored and reprocessed at the
reprocessing facilities. As described regarding spent fuel storage and reprocessing in
G2 and later, the system is that spent fuel management is properly managed so that therisk of spent fuel management will not increase in the future.
G-1-7 Avoidance of Undue Burdens on Future Generations
Another Act stipulates how to secure the cost for reprocessing spent fuel.
(see Section B and E2-6)

104

G-2 Existing Facilities
Article 5
Each Contracting Party shall take the appropriate steps to review the safety of any spent fuelmanagement facility existing at the time the Convention enters into force for that Contracting
Party and to ensure that, if necessary, all reasonably practicable improvements are made to
upgrade the safety of such a facility.

The Joint Convention entered into force in Japan on November 24, 2003. At that time, thespent fuel management facilities where licensed were the reprocessing facilities. Japan
confirmed that the obligations described in the Joint Convention were fulfilled by thenational law and regulations when it joined this Convention. In addition, measures havebeen taken to enhance safety, part of which are reported as below.
G-2-1 The Back-Fitting System and Conformity Review
The back-fitting system was introduced upon the amendment of the Reactor
Regulation Act in 2012, and licensed nuclear facilities are required to conform to thelatest regulatory requirements (the Licensing Standards for installation permission andthe Technical Standards for construction approval). When the NRA finds that nuclear
facilities do not conform to the regulatory requirements, the NRA may order licenseesof the nuclear facility to suspend use/operation, modify, repair, or transfer the locationof the nuclear facility, specify operating method or order other actions necessary for
operational safety.
In the NRA Ordinances enacted in July 2013, regulatory requirements for nuclear
power reactors were established, and in the NRA Ordinances enacted in December
2013, regulatory requirements for spent fuel interim storage facility, reprocessing
facilities, radioactive waste storage facilities and radioactive waste disposal facilities
were established respectively.
It is not possible to resume operations without passing the conformity review which is
the regulatory procedure to confirm that the existing nuclear facilities in Japan comply
with the latest regulatory requirements (except for waste disposal facilities already inoperation).

105

G-2-1-1

Spent Fuel Interim Storage Facilities

The conformity review of spent fuel interim storage facilities is composed of the reviewof the amendment of existing business license, the review of Design and Construction
Plan, and the review of Operational Safety Program.
The regulatory requirements request the fundamental safety functions such as
prevention of criticality, shielding, confinement, and heat removal for the design ofspent fuel interim storage facilities, and require radiation monitoring for radiation
control, measures for aging, and measures for natural phenomenon as other safetymeasures. Existing nuclear facilities are required to comply with them. In the review of
the application on the amendment of operating license, the NRA reviews that thelocation, structure and equipment of spent fuel storage interim facilities and technicalcompetence of licensees are conforming to the Licensing Standards.
The NRA reviews that the Design and Construction Plan of spent fuel interim storage
facilities are complying with Permit of Business and the Technical Standards. .
In the review of Operational Safety Program, the NRA reviews that licensees takemeasures to comply with Permit of Business and to prevent disasters that might becaused by spent fuel or the material which contaminated by the spent fuel, for thesafety operation of spent fuel interim storage facility.
For spent fuel interim storage facilities which license is permitted, and Design andConstruction Plan, and Operational Safety Program are approved through conformity
review, the NRA confirms by Nuclear Regulatory Inspection that Licensee’s Preservice Inspection if facility is conformed to the approved Design and Construction
Plan as well as Technical Standards.
Licensees are required to conduct Licensee’s Periodic Assessment in compliance withregulations of the Reactor Regulation Act. In a periodical evaluation, licensees are
required to evaluate the status of incorporation of the latest technical knowledge into
the operational safety activity, and to evaluate the status of the execution of theoperational safety activity for every spent fuel interim storage facility for period that
doesn't exceed 10 years.
G-2-1-2

Reprocessing Facilities

The conformity review for reprocessing facilities is composed of the review of106amendment of existing Business Permit, the review of Design and Construction Plan,
and the review of Operational Safety Program.
In the up-to-dated regulatory requirements for reprocessing facilities, licensees are
required to conform to enforced design criteria and take measures for severe accidents,
and thus existing facilities need to back-fit to those latest regulatory requirements. In
the review of amendment of business license, the NRA reviews location, structure andequipment of the reprocessing facilities, and the technical competence of licensees ofreprocessing facilities are compliant with the licensing standards.
In the review of Design and Construction Plan, the NRA reviews that the Design andConstruction Plan is compliant to Permit of Business, and to the Technical Standards.
In the review of Operational Safety Program, the NRA reviews that licensees takemeasures to comply with Permit of Business and to prevent disasters that might becaused by spent fuel, material separated from spent fuel or material contaminated withany of the foregoing, for the safety operation of reprocessing facilities.
For reprocessing facilities which business license, Design and Construction Plan,
Operational Safety Program are authorized through conformity review, the NRA
confirms by Nuclear Regulatory Inspection that Licensee’s Pre-service Inspection if
facility is conformed to the Approved Design and Construction Plan as well as theTechnical Standards.
G-2-2 Evaluation of Nuclear Facilities that Have Ensured Compliance with the
New Regulatory Requirements
When the NRA revises regulatory requirements, by reflecting domestic and/orinternational state-of-the-art knowledge, study results, etc., licensees are obligated toconform to the revised regulatory requirements even after the conformity review andthe inspections, etc. are completed and it resumes operations (Back-fitting system).
In the 2012 amendment of the Reactor Regulation Act, new requirements of Periodic
Safety Assessment of Continuous Improvement were newly introduced. In this system,
licensees are required to evaluate safety of its facility by itself every time within 6months after the completion of its periodic inspection, and required to submit thereport to the NRA and make the result open to the public. This system is obligated to
the nuclear power reactor, the nuclear fuel processing facility for uranium enrichment107

or fuel fabrication, and the reprocessing facility.
For the other nuclear fuel facilities, licensees are required to evaluate safety of its
facility periodically in accordance with the regulation for each activity. For instance,
licensees of spent fuel interim storage business are required to evaluate status ofoperational safety activity, evaluate the status of reflecting state of the art technology
for the operational safety activity, conduct technical evaluation related to aging inevery 10 years in accordance with the NRA Ordinance on Business of Spent Fuel
Storage.
For the Periodic Assessment of Safety Improvement, and the periodical evaluation, the
NRA has developed various guidelines for licensees to be able to conduct necessary
evaluation.

108

G-3 Permit of Business
Article 6
1. Each Contracting Party shall take the appropriate steps to ensure that procedures are
established and implemented for a proposed spent fuel management facility:(i)

to evaluate all relevant site-related factors likely to affect the safety of such a facility
during its operating lifetime;(ii)

to evaluate the likely safety impact of such a facility on individuals, society and theenvironment;(iii) to make information on the safety of such a facility available to members of the public;(iv) to consult Contracting Parties in the vicinity of such a facility, insofar as they are likely
to be affected by that facility, and provide them, upon their request, with general data
relating to the facility to enable them to evaluate the likely safety impact of the facility
upon their territory.
2. In so doing, each Contracting Party shall take the appropriate steps to ensure that such
facilities shall not have unacceptable effects on other Contracting Parties by being sited inaccordance with the general safety requirements of Article 4.

G-3-1 Spent Fuel Interim Storage Facilities
Any person who intends to conduct a business for interim storage of spent fuel shallobtain Permit of the NRA pursuant to the Reactor Regulation Act. Any person who
intends to obtain the Permit shall submit an application document containing the typeof spent fuel to be stored, the storage capacity, location, structure and equipment ofspent fuel interim storage facility and the storage method, to the NRA. Documents
concerning the conditions of weather, ground, hydrologic, seismic and the social
conditions at the site of spent fuel interim storage facility is requested to be submitted
as a part of the attachment of the application.
The NRA shall not grant Permit unless it confirms that the location, structure andequipment of the facility conform to the Licensing Standards.
The applicable scope of this requirements is spent fuel interim storage facility adopting
metallic cask. A metallic cask here is a metallic dry cask in order to transport and store
the spent nuclear fuel.
In the Licensing Standards, regulatory requirements such as prevention of criticality,109

shielding, confinement, heat removal and prevention of damage due to fire, natural
phenomenon, ground displacement, earthquake, tsunami and human-induced
external impact are stipulated. Moreover, the Standards requires that spent fuel interim
storage facility must not cause public exposure to radiation in the vicinity of the placein the Maximum Design Basis Accident (an accident which is expected to cause
maximum public exposure within the accidents taken into account in plant design).
The NRA discloses conformity review on permit of spent fuel interim storage business,e.g. accept audience to a meeting, live streaming on You Tube, etc., and documents
related to the licensing are publicly available.
G-3-2 Reprocessing Facilities
Any person who intends to carry out reprocessing business shall obtain Permit ofBusiness pursuant to the Reactor Regulation Act. Any person who intends to obtain
Permit shall submit an application documents containing the type of spent fuel to be
reprocessed, the reprocessing capacity, location, structure and equipment ofreprocessing facilities and the reprocessing method, to the NRA. Documents
concerning the conditions of weather, bedrock, hydrologic, seismic and the social
circumstances at the site of reprocessing facilities are requested to be submitted as apart of the attachment of the application.
The NRA shall not grant permit unless it confirms that the location, structure andequipment of facility conform to the Licensing Standards.
The Licensing Standards require prevention of criticality of nuclear materials, shielding,confinement, prevention of damage due to fire, prevention of damage of equipmentwith safety function due to ground displacement, earthquake, tsunami, natural
phenomenon and human-induced external impact, flooding, leak of chemicals etc.
Reprocessing facilities are required to be able to control the parameters within
acceptable design safety level on abnormal transient in operation; and to be able toprevent radiation hazards to the public on the design basis accident. In addition tothese requirements for design basis accidents, the Standards requires installing thefacility for measures to manage severe accidents.
The NRA discloses conformity review of a reprocessing business, e.g. accept audience
to a meeting, live streaming on You Tube, etc., and documents related to the businesslicensing are publicly available.
110G-3-3 Consideration of Influence on Other Contracting States
Japan is an islands nation surrounded by ocean and with no land links withneighboring countries. Moreover, the spent fuel management facilities in Japan arelocated in a place with sufficient distance from the land of neighboring country.
Therefore, the possibility of significant radiological impact on other Contracting Parties
is extremely low. Thus, no framework for international discussion on siting of a spent
fuel management facility is established.

111

G-4 Design and Construction of Facilities
Article 7
Each Contracting Party shall take the appropriate steps to ensure that:(i)the design and construction of a spent fuel management facility provide for suitablemeasures to limit possible radiological impacts on individuals, society and theenvironment, including those from discharges or uncontrolled releases;(ii) at the design stage, conceptual plans and, as necessary, technical provisions for thedecommissioning of a spent fuel management facility are taken into account;(iii) the technologies incorporated in the design and construction of a spent fuel management
facility are supported by experience, testing or analysis.

G-4-1 Approval of Design and Construction Plan
G-4-1-1

Spent Fuel Interim Storage Facilities

Licensees who have obtained Permit of Business on spent fuel storage business are
required to obtain Approval of Design and Construction Plan before the start ofconstruction in accordance with the Reactor Regulation Act. The NRA reviews andconfirms that the Design and Construction Plan is consistent with the permitted
business license and the Technical Standards and gives Approval.
In relation to the limitation of radiation impact that might have influence to individuals,
society and the environment, the Technical Standards require that metallic cask shallhave a structure that does not leak spent fuel material, and that spent fuel interim
storage facility must be installed to sufficiently suppress radiation dose defined by the
NRA in the vicinity of the place of business due to direct ray and sky-shine ray fromthe spent fuel interim storage facility concerned. In addition, disposal facility forradioactive waste which is installed in the spent fuel interim storage facility is required
to be capable of keeping the concentration of radioactive substance in the air outside of
the surrounding monitored area and in the water at the boundary of the Surrounding
Monitored Area be equal or below the value defined by the NRA.
The technology used for design and construction of spent fuel interim storage facilities
is evaluated in the process of the review of Design and Construction Plan. It is an
obligation of licensees to prove that the design of the facility comply with the Technical112

Standards, and this ensures the appropriate technology is used for design andconstruction. In addition, based on the quality management policy reviewed upon
licensing, licensees are required to develop a design and development plan and to
implement investigation, verification and validation. These quality management
activities ensure that spent fuel interim storage facility complies with the requirementsfor performance, the purpose of usage, intended usage method.
G-4-1-2

Reprocessing Facilities

Licensees who have obtained Permit of reprocessing business are required to obtain
Approval of Design and Construction Plan before the start of construction inaccordance with the Reactor Regulation Act. The NRA reviews and confirms that the
Design and Construction Plan is consistent with permitted business license and theTechnical Standards, and gives approval.
In relation to the limitation of radiation impact that might have influence to individuals,
society and the environment, the Technical Standards require that equipment withsafety function shall have a structure to maintain confinement, and that reprocessing
facilities must be installed so as to sufficiently suppress radiation dose defined by the
NRA in the vicinity of the place of business due to direct ray and sky-shine ray fromthe reprocessing facilities concerned during operation and outage, and that theequipment shall be capable to dispose the radioactive waste so as to keep theconcentration of radioactive substance in the air outside of the surrounding monitoredarea and the dose rate of liquid radioactive substance to be discharged to the ocean
shall be equal or below the value defined by the NRA. In addition, installation ofequipment necessary to control the release of radioactive substance and radiation tothe outside of reprocessing facilities in case of a severe accident.
The technology used for design and construction of reprocessing facilities is evaluatedin the process of the review of Design and Construction Plan. It is an obligation oflicensees of reprocessing business to prove that the design of the facility comply with
the Technical Standards, and this ensures the appropriate technology is used for the
Design and Construction. In addition, based on the quality management policy
reviewed upon licensing, licensees are required to develop a design and development
plan, and to implement investigation, verification and validation. These quality control
activities ensure that reprocessing facilities comply with the requirements for therequired performance, purpose of usage, intended usage method.
113

G-4-2 Consideration on Decommissioning at the Design StageAs mentioned in Section E2-2, due to the revision of the Reactor Regulation Act in 2017,
licensees of spent fuel interim storage facility and reprocessing facility must establish
and publicly disclose a Decommissioning Policy immediately after licensing. In theDecommissioning Policy, method of dismantlement of the facility, decontamination,plan and timeline of decommissioning are described, and more practical description
will be added in due course based on the operation status of the facility.
Whendecommissioning

thefacility,

licenseesshallobtainDecommissioning Plan in accordance with the Reactor Regulation Act.

114

ApprovalofG-5 Assessment of Safety of Facilities
Article 8
Each Contracting Party shall take the appropriate steps to ensure that:(i)before construction of a spent fuel management facility, a systematic safety assessment
and an environmental assessment appropriate to the hazard presented by the facility andcovering its operating lifetime shall be carried out;(ii) before the operation of a spent fuel management facility, updated and detailed versionsof the safety assessment and of the environmental assessment shall be prepared when
deemed necessary to complement the assessments referred to in paragraph (i).

G-5-1 Spent Fuel Interim Storage Facilities
The procedures on the licensing and design/construction phase for spent fuel interim
storage facilities are described in Section G3 and Section G4 and through these process
the safety assessment is carried out. Licensees conduct Licensee’s Pre-service
Inspection and the NRA confirms it before commencement of use as reported in Section
G6-1. This confirms the fulfillment of the performance based on safety assessment
carried out before construction.
Concretely, the person who intends to obtain Permit of Business of the spent fuelinterim storage should submit “Document concerning safety design of spent fuelinterim storage facility,” “Document concerning exposure control of radiation dosefrom the spent fuel, etc. and the disposal of radioactive wastes” and “Document
concerning type, level, and influence, etc. of accident at spent fuel interim storage
facility, those assumed to be caused in case of mis-operation, failure of machine orequipment, flooding, earthquake, fire, explosion, etc.,” when applying process of
permit, and explain the result of the safety evaluation to the NRA. When the NRA
permits the application, these documents are also reviewed. In the Licensing Standards,
the facility should have the performance such as prevention of criticality, shielding,confinement, heat removal, prevention of damage by fire, earthquake, tsunami, andexternal impact and prevention of radiation hazards at the maximum design-baseaccident and the performances is required for each equipment are described. And asystematic evaluation concerning safety is performed in accordance with theregulatory requirements.
115

After obtaining the Permit of Business, licensees are required to obtain Approval of
Design and Construction Plan for the facility before construction starts. Licensees are
required to submit the document that explains that Design and Construction Plan arecompliant with the Technical Standards. When the NRA permits the application, these
documents are also reviewed. In the Technical Standards, performance needed for thefacility are described, such as prevention of criticality, shielding, confinement, heatremoval, prevention of damage by fire, earthquake, tsunami, and external impact andthe performances required for each equipment. And a systematic evaluation
concerning safety is performed in accordance with the Technical Standards. The
evaluation at this stage is more detailed than that of the Permit of Business, because itis based on the concrete facility design.
G-5-2 Reprocessing Facilities
The procedures on the licensing and design/construction phase for reprocessing
facilities are described in Section G3 and Section G4 and through these process thesafety assessment is carried out. Licensees conduct Licensee’s Pre-service Inspection
and the NRA confirms it before commencement of use as reported in Section G6-2. Thisconfirms the fulfillment of the performance based on safety assessment carried out
before construction.
Concretely, the person who intends to obtain the Permit of the business in the processof the licensing of reprocessing business should describe the following in theapplication documentation:•

Necessary facilities as countermeasure for abnormal transients during
operation and design basis accidents, impact of the assumed accidents,
condition to evaluate the impacts and a result of the evaluation; and•Necessary facilities as countermeasure and organization for severe accident
and for accident to potentially become a severe accident, impact of theassumed accidents, condition to evaluate the impacts and a result of theevaluation.

In addition, the person who intends to obtain the Permit of the Business is required tosubmit “Document concerning the safety design of the reprocessing facilities” and“Document concerning the maintenance of necessary facilities and system for an
accident concerned when the accident occurs in the reprocessing facilities,” etc., and to
explain the result of the safety assessment. Documents are also reviewed in licensing
116

process. The Licensing Standards stipulates requirements on performance that
reprocessing plant should have, such as prevention of criticality, shielding,confinement, prevention of damage by fire, earthquake, tsunami, external impact,leakage of chemicals, prevention of expansion of design basis accident, or performancenecessary for other components. In addition, as the requirement for severe accident
management facility, prevention of expansion of severe accident, prevention ofdamage by fire, earthquake, tsunami, and performance of severe accident management
facility. To grant Permit, systematic evaluation of application is performed in line withthese requirements.
After obtaining Permit of Business, licensees of reprocessing facilities are required toobtain Approval for Design and Construction Plan of the facility before the start ofconstruction. Licensees of the reprocessing facilities are required to submit theapplication documents explaining that Design and Construction Plan is consistent withrequirements of the Technical Standards in the process of the approval. When the NRA
approves the application, these documents are also reviewed. In the TechnicalStandards, the performance that the reprocessing facilities should have, such as
prevention of criticality, shielding, heat removal, prevention of damage by fire,
earthquake, tsunami, flooding, external impact and leakage of chemicals, and theperformances required for each equipment are described. A systematic evaluation
concerning safety is performed in accordance with the regulatory requirements. At thisphase, evaluation is performed based on the specific design for the concrete equipment,
so is more detail than that of licensing phase.

117G-6 Operation of Facilities
Article 9
Each Contracting Party shall take the appropriate steps to ensure that:(i)the licence to operate a spent fuel management facility is based upon appropriate
assessments as specified in Article 8 and is conditional on the completion of acommissioning programme demonstrating that the facility, as constructed, is consistent
with design and safety requirements;(ii)

operational limits and conditions derived from tests, operational experience and theassessments, as specified in Article 8, are defined and revised as necessary;(iii) operation, maintenance, monitoring, inspection and testing of a spent fuel management
facility are conducted in accordance with established procedures;(iv) engineering and technical support in all safety-related fields are available throughout theoperating lifetime of a spent fuel management facility;(v)

incidents significant to safety are reported in a timely manner by the holder of the licenceto the regulatory body;(vi) programmes to collect and analyze relevant operating experience are established and thatthe results are acted upon, where appropriate;(vii) decommissioning plans for a spent fuel management facility are prepared and updated,
as necessary, using information obtained during the operating lifetime of that facility, andare reviewed by the regulatory body.

G-6-1 Spent Fuel Interim Storage Facilities
In accordance with the Reactor Regulation Act, licensees cannot start operation without
conducting Licensee’s Pre-service Inspection and receiving its confirmation of NRA.
Licensee’s Pre-service Inspection checks whether construction and functions arecomplied with Design and Construction Plan approved by the NRA and the TechnicalStandards.
Licensees should obtain Approval of Operational Safety Program from the NRA before
starting constructions. The implementation of the Operational Safety Program isrequired by the law, in the case of violation, the NRA could impose penalties such as
revocation of permits or suspension of the operation of facilities within 1 year. The
main items to be indicated in Operational Safety Program are system for operational118

safety, quality management system, education on operational safety, access control,
oversight and management of facilities, which are detailed in Table G-1.
Based on the Reactor Regulation Act, licensees shall conduct Licensee’s Periodic
Inspection to check whether facilities are maintained to comply with the regulatory
requirements, and shall report the plan and result to the NRA. The NRA confirms
through Nuclear Regulatory Inspection licensees’ safety activities including its
implementation and conformity to Operational Safety Program.
Licensees have to report to the NRA based on the Reactor Regulation Act when an
event stipulated by the NRA Ordinance occurs, such as: spent fuel is stolen or missing;loss of confinement function, shielding, decay heat removal function or function forprevention of fire or explosion, or possibility of losing these functions due to failure ofspent fuel interim storage facility.
In the case of decommissioning of spent fuel interim storage facilities, licensees shallobtain Approval of Decommissioning Plan in accordance with the Reactor Regulation
Act. The following explanatory documents should be attached to the application of
Decommissioning Plan:•

Management of radiation exposure during decommissioning;•

Assumed incident, damage and effect in case of error, fault of machine andequipment, flooding, earthquake, fire;•

Distribution of contamination by spent fuel and assessment method for that;•

Maintaining functions of spent fuel interim storage facilities duringdecommissioning;•

period of maintaining above functions.

Acceptance criteria on Approval of Decommissioning Plan is that spent fuel has been
already removed from spent fuel interim storage facility, management of material
contaminated by spent fuel is appropriate, implementation of decommissioning isappropriate in terms of prevention of disaster caused by material contaminated byspent fuel.
G-6-2 Reprocessing Facilities
In accordance with the Reactor Regulation Act, licensees of reprocessing facilities
cannot start operation without conducting Licensee’s Pre-service Inspection andreceiving its confirmation of the NRA. Licensee’s Pre-service Inspection checks
whether construction and functions are complied with Design and Construction Plan
119

approved by the NRA and the Technical Standards.
Licensees of reprocessing facilities should obtain Approval of Operational Safety
Program from the NRA before starting construction. The implementation of
Operational Safety Program is required by the law, in the case of violation, the NRA
could impose penalties such as revoke permits or suspend the operation of facilities
within 1 year. The main items to be indicated in Operational Safety Program are systemfor operational safety, quality management system, education on operational safety,
access control, oversight and management of facilities, which are detailed in Table G2.
Based on the Reactor Regulation Act, licensees of reprocessing facilities shall conduct
Licensee’s Periodic Inspection whether facilities are maintained to comply with the
NRA’s regulatory requirements, and shall report the plan and result to the NRA. And
the NRA confirms through Nuclear Regulatory Inspection the licensee’s safety
activities including its implementation and conformity to Safety Operational Program.
Licensees have to report to the NRA based on the provision of the Reactor Regulation
Act when events stipulated by the NRA occurs in the same manner as spent fuelinterim storage facility explained in Section G6-1.
In the case of decommissioning reprocessing facilities, licensees of reprocessing
facilities shall obtain Approval of Decommissioning Plan in accordance with theReactor Regulation Act. The following documents should be attached to the applicationof Decommissioning Plan in the same manner as spent fuel interim storage facility
explained in Section G6-1. Acceptance criteria on Approval of Decommissioning Plan
are that nuclear fuel material is removed from main process of reprocessing plant,
management and transfer of spent fuel, material separated from nuclear fuel materialor spent fuel are appropriate, management of spent fuel, nuclear fuel material ormaterial

separatedfromnuclearfuelisappropriate,

implementationofdecommissioning is appropriate in terms of prevention of disaster caused by material
contaminated by spent fuel, nuclear fuel material or material separated from nuclear
fuel material or spent fuel.
G-6-3 Making Effective Use of Operational Experiences
In accordance with the Reactor Regulation Act, spent fuel interim storage facilities are
required to implement periodic assessment and reprocessing facilities are required to120

implement Periodic Safety Assessment of Continuous Improvement. Those areprescribed in Section G2.
If a safety significant event occurs, licensees are required to report this to the NRA
without delay, in accordance with the provisions of the Reactor Regulation Act. After
examining the cause and developing counter measures to the event, licensees shallreport to the NRA and publish those contents. Once in receipt of the report concerning
the event, the Secretariat of the NRA immediately publishes the details and checks the
response of licensees to the event. Moreover, after report of the cause and thedeveloped measures on the event from licensees, licensees confirm the validity of thecontents and report again to the NRA.
As reported in Section F3-1, licensees are required to establish quality management
system in the Operational Safety Program according to quality management standards.
Corrective actions and preventive actions are taken into the quality management
system. Operational experiences obtained not only from own facility but also fromdomestic/foreign facilities are utilized. The NRA ensures licensees’ those activities
through Nuclear Regulation Inspection.
The NRA examines information on these accidents and failures one by one, strives toextract lessons learned for enhancing safety. As necessary, the NRA requests licensees
to reflect the lessons learned in operational safety and reflects them in regulatory
activities.
In the information collection and analysis process in the Secretariat of the NRA,
through the first step of screening process, information possibly related to regulationof Japan is chosen from collected information, and through the second step of screening
process, “technical information which needs measure to be taken” is selected. The
Secretariat of the NRA studies about the “technical information which needs measure
to be taken” and develop the measure in the Technical Information Study Committee
periodically held, report to the Reactor Safety Examination Committee and the Nuclear
Fuel Safety Examination Committee periodically, get the advice and report to the NRA
Committee periodically. Through such process, a variety of domestic and foreign
experiences and knowledge are collected, analyzed and reflected to the regulation in
Japan.
Licensees manage the Nuclear Information Archives, database for nuclear facilities'
information which is disclosed to the public, cooperating with Japan Nuclear Safety
121Institute (JANSI). Database of the Nuclear Information Archives contains operating
information from the first nuclear power reactor in 1966 to the current reactors or
reprocessing plant, and is shared not only by licensees but also the public for thetransparency.
In addition to that, as for the collection, analysis, assessment and utilization ofoperating information among licensees, JANSI, as a third party which is independent
from atomic energy activity operators, collect domestic and abroad information suchas event at nuclear facility, analyze, assess and provide the result to the domestic
operators.

122

Table G1

Required Items to be Described in Operational Safety Program of Spent

Fuel Interim Storage Facility•

The system for implementing relative laws and Operational Safety Program•

Quality Management System for spent fuel interim storage facility•

Duties and organization of personnel who manage and operate spent fuel interim
storage facilities•

The job description and extent of duty of Chief Engineer of Nuclear Fuel and thepositioning in organization and necessary authority for supervising of operationalsafety•Education on operational safety for operator and management staff in spent
fuel interim storage facility•

Operation of spent fuel interim storage facility•

Establishing Radiation Controlled Area, Surrounding Monitored Area and access
control for those areas•

Exhaust gas and effluent monitoring equipment•

Dose, equivalent dose, concentration of radioactive substance, monitoring densityof surface contaminated by radioactive material and removal of contamination•

Management of dose meter and methods of dose monitoring•

Waste receipts and payments, transportation and other handling for spent fuel•Disposal of radioactive waste•

Measures for emergency•

Measures for operational safety of interim storage facilities against postulated
events for the design•

Appropriate report and record of operational safety for spent fuel interim storage
facilities•

Facility management for spent fuel interim storage facility•

Periodic assessment for spent fuel interim storage facilities•

Distributing and sharing technical information obtained from maintenance toother spent fuel interim storage operators•

Disclosing information on non-compliance in case of occurrence on noncompliance•

Other necessary items of safety operation for spent fuel interim storage facilities

123

Table G2

Required Items to be described in Operational Safety Program of

Reprocessing Facility•

The system for implementing relative laws and Operational Safety Program•

Quality Management System for reprocessing facilities•

Duties and organization of personnel who manage and operate reprocessing
facilities•

The job description and extent of duty of Chief Engineer of Nuclear Fuel andthe positioning in organization and necessary authority for supervising ofoperational safety•

Education on operational safety for operator and management staff in the
reprocessing facilities•

Operation of reprocessing facilities•

Establishing Radiation Controlled Area, Preservation Area and Surrounding
Monitored Area and access control for those areas•

Exhaust gas and effluent monitoring equipment•

Dose, equivalent dose, concentration of radioactive substance, monitoring
density of surface contaminated by radioactive material and removal ofcontamination•

Management of dose meter and methods of dose monitoring•

Waste receipts and payments, transportation, storage and other handling of
nuclear fuel material•

Disposal of radioactive waste•

Radiation control around liquid waste discharge equipment•

Measures for emergency•

Measures for operational safety of reprocessing facilities against postulated
events for the design including natural phenomena and human errors whichmight cause damage on safety, severe accidents or large-scale damage•

Appropriate report and record of operational safety for reprocessing facilities•

Facility management for reprocessing facilities•

Distributing and sharing technical information obtained from maintenanceto other reprocessing facilities operators•

Disclosing information on non-compliance in case of occurrence on noncompliance•

Other necessary items of safety operation for reprocessing facilities124

G-7 Disposal of Spent Fuel
Article 10
If, pursuant to its own legislative and regulatory framework, a Contracting Party has
designated spent fuel for disposal, the disposal of such spent fuel shall be inaccordance with the obligations of Section 3 relating to the disposal of radioactive
waste.
According to Final Disposal Act, radioactive waste have to be disposed after
reprocessing spent fuel, it means spent fuel is not stipulated as disposal in Japan.

125Section H Safety of Radioactive Waste Management
This Section reports on the radioactive waste management business regulated by the
Rector Regulation Act and the similar business regulated by the RI Regulation Act,
which main purpose is safety of radioactive waste management. The radioactive waste
management business regulated by the Reactor Regulation Act is reported in Section H1
to H7. In addition, radioactive waste management business regulated by the RI
Regulation Act is summarized at the end of this item.
The Reactor Regulation Act stipulates requirements, for waste management business of
nuclear fuel material or waste contaminated by nuclear fuel material, of Permit ofBusiness for its start, Approval of Design and Construction Plan prior to construction
work, licensees’ obligation on conducting Licensee’s Pre-service Inspection andLicensee’s Periodic Inspection, Approval of Operational Safety Program and Nuclear
Regulatory Inspection by the NRA. Under the Act, regulatory requirements are
established as the NRA Ordinance: Licensing Standards for the stage of Permit ofBusiness, and Technical Standards for the stage of Approval of Design and Construction
Plan.
In this report, Section H3 describes regulation on Permit of Business; Section H4 mainlyon Approval of Design and Construction Plan; Section H5 on safety assessment both in
the process of Permit of Business and Approval of Design and Construction Plan; andSection H6 on Licensee’s Pre-service Inspection and Licensee’s Periodic Inspection,
Approval of Operational Safety Program and Nuclear Regulatory Inspection by the
NRA.
As reported in Section E2-2, the radioactive waste management business regulated
under the Reactor Regulation Act are divided into waste interim storage business,
category-1 waste disposal business (geological disposal) and category-2 waste disposal
business (intermediate depth disposal, pit disposal, trench disposal).
Among them, in waste interim storage business, facility which handles over 3.7 TBq
nuclear fuel material or material contaminated with nuclear fuel material is defined as
specified waste storage facility, and currently licensed 2 waste storage facilities are bothin this definition. Specified waste interim storage facility is required to obtain Approvalof Design and Construction Plan before commencing construction work, and the abovementioned Technical Standards have been established for specified waste storage126

facilities. As such, this section reports mainly on specified waste storage facility. 2
licensed facilities: Waste Storage Facility of JNFL, Waste Storage Facility of JAEA Oarai
Research & Development Institute, submitted applications on compliance to the new
regulatory requirements; the former facility obtained Permit in August 2020 and thelatter obtained Permit in August 2018. The former stores vitrified waste canisters
generated from reprocessing in the UK or France, which was reported in Section B4-1.
Cat-1 waste disposal facility includes ground facility such as reception facility forradioactive waste, which is defined as specified cat-1 waste disposal facility. Specified
cat-1 waste disposal facility is required to obtain Approval of Design and Construction
Plan before commencing construction work, and the above-mentioned TechnicalStandards have been established for specified cat-1 waste disposal facilities.
Out of cat-1 and cat-2 waste disposal facilities, underground facility, which does not fallunder specified cat-1 waste disposal facility mentioned above such as waste disposal site
and tunnel, are not required to obtain Approval of Design and Construction Plan, but
required to obtain safety confirmation of the NRA (Confirmation of Facility). In addition,
waste to be disposed of is required to obtain confirmation of the NRA before disposal(Confirmation of Waste). As Confirmation of Facility and Confirmation of Waste areconducted during the operation of facilities as needed, these are reported in Section H4and Section H6.
There are 3 licensed cat-2 waste disposal facilities: Waste Disposal Facility Unit 1 and 2of the JNFL, Waste Disposal Facility of the JAEA Nuclear Science Research Institute.
Currently reviews for Permit of Business or its amendment are underway for additional
installation of Unit 3 of JNFL and design change of Unit 1 and 2 of JNFL, and for Tokai
Low Level Radioactive Disposal Facility of the Japan Atomic Power Co. (JAPC).
As reported in Section D3, there are also radioactive wastes stored in nuclear facilities
where they had been generated. As for the radioactive waste management in the JAEA
facilities, the NRA set up an oversight team in April 2019 to deal with the comprehensive
issues related to back-end measures of the whole JAEA such as decommissioning andradioactive waste management of aged facilities, and continues oversight hearing
measures from licensees in the team meeting.
Radioactive wastes regulated under the RI Regulation Act are stored by licensees andregistrants, and most of them are collected, treated and stored by permitted waste
management licensees. Waste management licensees commence business following
127

obtaining permission and receiving facility inspection in accordance with the RI
Regulation Act, and conduct business according to the Radiation Hazards Prevention
Program as well as undergo periodic inspection confirmation. Any person who intends
to conduct waste management business on radioisotopes shall obtain permission fromthe NRA in accordance with the RI Regulation Act. Upon submission of an application,
documents shall be submitted describing the methods of waste management, thelocation, structure and equipment of waste repacking facility, waste storage facility anddisposal facility (waste facilities). Upon granting permission, the NRA reviews as towhether waste facilities comply with the Technical Standards required by the NRA
Ordinance. As for location, structure and equipment of each facility, shield wall andother shielding structure, ventilation equipment and drainage equipment are required
to comply with the regulatory requirements stipulated by the law and ordinance toreduce the impact resulting from radiation. For siting, such facility shall be installed at alocation where landslide and flooding are not likely to occur, and major structure of a
facility shall be fire-resistant or made from non-combustible materials, etc.
In addition, any person who has been granted permission of waste managementbusiness shall undergo and pass facility inspection before use in order to be checked
whether waste facility complies with the Technical Standards. Waste management
licensees shall prepare the Radiation Hazards Prevention Program including theorganization for operational safety, maintenance of the facility, measurement ofradiation dose and contamination, education and training, records, etc. before
commencement of business, and comply with it (for details, refer to Table H4 in Section
H6). Furthermore, after starting use of the facility, licensees shall undergo periodic
inspection to be checked whether its facility complies with the Technical Standards, andundergo periodic confirmation as to contamination measurement and recording,description and preservation of records and so on.
As for disposal, the special cases of waste management added to the RI Regulation Act
in 2017 and the Ordinance (refer to Section E2-4) has enabled disposal of radioisotopes
and radioactive contaminants by disposal licensees under the Reactor Regulation Act
integrally and reasonably (refer to Section E2-3-2).

128

Figure H-1

Safety Regulation Flow of Cat-1 Waste Disposal Business
and Cat-2 Waste Disposal Business

Cat-1 Waste Disposal Business

Cat-2 Waste Disposal Business(Geological Disposal)(Near Surface/Intermediate Depth Disposal)
Basic

Permit of BusinessApproval of Design andConstruction Plan＊1
Approval of Operational
Safety Program

DesignPermit of Business

Design andConstruction

Approval of Operational
Safety Program

Licensee’s Pre-service Inspection＊1
Confirmation of Facility

Confirmation of Facility

Confirmation of Facility
Licensee’s Periodic Inspection＊1

Confirmation
廃棄確認 of Waste
Operation

Licensee’s Periodic
Evaluation

Licensee’s Periodic＊2

Evaluation＊2…
Approval of Closure Plan
Confirmation of Closure

Backfillingof Tunnel

Approval of Closure Plan
Confirmation of Closure

Nuclear Regulatory Inspection

Nuclear Regulatory Inspection

Confirmation of Waste
Confirmation of Waste＊only for Intermediate Depth Disposal

Period between closure and termination oflicense of disposal facility＊3
Approval of Decommissioning Plan
Confirmation of Decommissioning

Terminationof License

Approval of Decommissioning Plan
Confirmation of Decommissioning＊1：only for Specified Cat-1 Waste Disposal Facility (ground facility such as reception facility for radioactive waste)＊2：Cat-1 Waste Disposal Business
Periodically not exceeding 20 years after the approval, or at the time of formulation of Closure Plan and Decommissioning Plan
Cat-2 Waste Disposal Business
Evaluation of radiation exposure management due to nuclear fuel materials based on the latest technical knowledge and measuresnecessary for maintenance of waste disposal facility based on the evaluation result / periodically not exceeding 10 years after the startdate of activity, at the time to change measures to be taken for operational safety in accordance with decay of radioactivity or to formulate
Decommissioning Plan
＊3：About 50 years after covering trench disposal site, 300-400 years after covering pit disposal site, 300-400 years for intermediate depth
disposal after closure of tunnel (now under consideration)129

H-1 General Safety Requirements
Article 11
Each Contracting Party shall take the appropriate steps to ensure that at all stages ofradioactive waste management individuals, society and the environment are adequately
protected against radiological and other hazards.
In so doing, each Contracting Party shall take the appropriate steps to:(i)ensure that criticality and removal of residual heat generated during radioactive waste
management are adequately addressed;(ii) ensure that the generation of radioactive waste is kept to the minimum practicable;(iii) take into account interdependencies among the different steps in radioactive waste
management;(iv) provide for effective protection of individuals, society and the environment, byapplying at the national level suitable protective methods as approved by theregulatory body, in the framework of its national legislation which has due regard tointernationally endorsed criteria and standards;(v) take into account the biological, chemical and other hazards that may be associatedwith radioactive waste management;(vi) strive to avoid actions that impose reasonably predictable impacts on future
generations greater than those permitted for the current generation;(vii) aim to avoid imposing undue burdens on future generations.
H-1-1 Criticality and Residual Heat Removal
In the radioactive waste management business in Japan, as for the radioactive waste
interim storage facility, the regulatory requirements stipulated by the NRA require
licensees to take necessary measures for cooling when the radioactive waste is likely to
be overheated by decay heat. As for interim storage facility which store the radioactive
waste which contain more than certain amount of radioactivity, the NRA regulatory
requirements require that the necessary measures shall be taken to prevent criticality
if there is a possibility of nuclear fuel material reaching criticality.
H-1-2 Minimizing the Generation of Radioactive Waste
As stated in Section G2-1.

130

H-1-3 Interdependence of Different Stages in Radioactive Waste Management
For example, the NRA Ordinance on Commercial Power Reactors requires theradioactive waste in the liquid state to be enclosed in a containment, or solidified
integrally with a containment and stored in the storage facility, as the regulatory
requirements. On the other hand, the NRA Ordinances on Waste Disposal Business
require the radioactive waste to be enclosed in a containment or solidified integrallywith a containment, as the regulatory requirements. Therefore, the requirements forthe generating stage of radioactive waste, include the requirements which disposal
stage are taken into account.
Besides, for relatively high-level radioactive waste such as reactor internals, as naturalbarrier surrounding a disposal facility, the regulatory requirements for permission ofintermediate depth disposal (waste disposal in the depth which is considered to beeffective for isolation between the public and radioactive waste) stipulate that backfilling not to create path that radioactive material can easily transit between groundlevel and disposal facility shall be expected to be feasible. Therefore, regulatory
requirements applied for certain stage contain the requirements which consider safetyof following stage.
As stated above, the regulatory system is taken the interdependence of different stages
into account.
H-1-4 Effective Protection of Individuals, Society and the Environment
The Atomic Energy Basic Act aims to contribute to protecting people's lives, health,and property, and preserving the environment through ensuring safety based on theestablished international standards.
The Reactor Regulation Act aims to protect people’s lives, health and property andpreserve the environment through necessary regulation in accordance with the spiritof the Atomic Energy Basic Act. Its objective include ensuring public safety by
preventing hazards resulting from nuclear source material, nuclear fuel material andnuclear reactors. Thus the Reactor Regulation Act stipulates necessary requirements sothat individuals, society and the environment can be protected appropriately byimplementing them.

131H-1-5 Consideration for Biological, Chemical and Other Risks Associated with
Radioactive Waste Management
In the regulatory requirements for radioactive waste interim storage facility andradioactive waste disposal facility, considerations are given to the prevention ofdamage caused by external impact such as natural hazards, and it is required for cat-2
waste disposal facility that the safety function shall not be damaged from chemical
substances.
H-1-6 Avoidance of Impacts on Future Generations
Regulatory requirements for the prevention of radiation hazard after the terminationof license of waste disposal facility demand that the site is supposed to shift into thestate which does not need institutional controls by the termination of license.
Specifically, the regulation requires that the doses to the general public in future
generations shall not exceed the criteria shown in the table below. These criteria areapplied to the doses assessed for natural event scenario and human intrusion scenario
which are considered scientifically reasonable.
TrenchdisposalPit disposal

Intermediate
depth disposal

With the most
likely parameters
scientificallyNaturalreasonable

event

With the mostscenario

conservative
parameters

10 μSv/y

10 μSv/y

300 μSv/y

300 μSv/y

300 μSv/y

1 mSv/yscientifically

100 μSv/y(under discussion)

300 μSv/y(under discussion)

reasonable
Human intrusion scenario

20 mSv/y(under discussion)

It also requires that the doses to the general public in future generations be evaluatedfor scenarios including the most conservative case and not exceed the does constraint
for each scenario.

132

H-1-7 Avoidance of Undue Burdens on Future Generations.
The Final Disposal Act contributes to the proper use of nuclear energy for power
generation, by taking necessary measures to systematically and reliably implement the
final disposal of specified radioactive waste which is generated after the reprocessing ofspent fuel generated by the operation of the nuclear power reactor, of which the purpose
is to improve the environment related to nuclear energy related to power generation,
thereby contributing to the sound development of the national economy and the stabilityof people's lives, thus consideration is given to avoiding an unreasonable burden on
future generations.

133

H-2 Existing Facilities and Past Practices
Article 12
Each Contracting Party shall in due course take the appropriate steps to review:(i)the safety of any radioactive waste management facility existing at the time theConvention enters into force for that Contracting Party and to ensure that, if necessary,
all reasonably practicable improvements are made to upgrade the safety of such afacility;(ii) the results of past practices in order to determine whether any intervention is needed
for reasons of radiation protection bearing in mind that the reduction in detrimentresulting from the reduction in dose should be sufficient to justify the harm and thecosts, including the social costs, of the intervention.

This Convention came into effect in Japan on November 24, 2003. At that moment, theradioactive waste management facilities that had already obtained Permit of Businessincluded waste interim storage facility and waste disposal facility (near surface
disposal). On acceding to this Convention, Japan ensured that the regulation by thedomestic law fulfilled the obligations provided in the Convention. Furthermore, it has
been taking actions for improving safety, examples are reported as below.
H-2-1 Periodic Evaluation of Safety for Existing Facilities
H-2-1-1

Application of Back-Fitting for Specified Cat-1 Radioactive Waste

Disposal Facilities and Specified Radioactive Waste Storage Facilities
Cat-1 waste disposal (geological disposal) is to dispose of the waste which has
especially high level of radioactivity such as HLW and cladding of spent fuel. Since
this kinds of waste contain very high concentration of the radioactive materials, thesewould be risks to seriously impact the health of humans in case of the failure inmaintaining adequate function of the relevant facilities above the ground, resulting inradioactive materials release in a living environment.
Among the relevant facilities for cat-1 waste disposal, specified cat-1 radioactive waste
disposal facilities, i.e. surface facility such as reception facility for radioactive waste are
required to obtain the Approval of Design and Construction Plan and conduct
Licensee’s Periodic Inspections.

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The NRA may order the necessary measures to be taken – back-fitting system – inregard to specified cat-1 waste disposal facility, when the location, structure andequipment of the facility does not meet the standards stipulated by the NRA Ordinance,or the performance of the facility is not enough comparing to the Technical Standards.
Back-fitting system which requires existing nuclear facilities to comply with the new
regulatory standards is reported in Section G2-1.
The same stipulations are also provided for radioactive waste interim storage facilities
which handle nuclear material or material contaminated with nuclear fuel material
over 3.7 TBq (specified waste storage facility), so back-fitting system is applied.
Regardless of the date which the Convention took into force in Japan, these stipulations
are applied to existing facilities to "back-fit" to the latest requirements.
On the other hand, the back-fitting system is not applied to the cat-2 waste disposal
facilities and cat-1 waste disposal facilities which do not fall into specified cat-1 waste
disposal facilities.
H-2-1-2

Periodic Evaluations of Waste Disposal Facilities and Waste Storage

Facilities
As for cat-2 waste disposal (intermediate depth disposal and near surface disposal), the
NRA Ordinance requires licensees to:•

Conduct periodic evaluations with the latest technical knowledge taken into
account after the start of its business until the termination of license,••with the regular period not exceeding 10 years;•

prior to the transition of stages (such as operation stage, preservation stage);•prior to the backfill of tunnel (applicable for intermediate depth disposal only).

Take necessary measures for maintenance of waste disposal facilities based on the
result of the periodic evaluations stated above.

As for cat-1 waste disposal (geological disposal), the NRA Ordinance requires thelicensees to:•

Conduct periodic evaluations with the latest technical knowledge taken into
account until the termination of license with the regular period not exceeding 20
years and prior to the backfill of the tunnel;•

Take necessary measures for maintenance of disposal facilities based on the resultof periodic evaluations stated above.

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As for waste interim storage facilities, the NRA Ordinance requires the licensees to:•

Conduct evaluations with the latest technical knowledge taken into account until
the commencement of decommission with the regular period not exceeding 10
years;•Take necessary measures for maintenance of facilities based on the result of
periodic evaluation stated above.
H-2-2 Past Activities

In Japan, all radioactive waste including those generated from the activities conducted
before the date which the Convention came into effect in Japan have been managed
and disposed of under the Reactor Regulation Act and the RI Regulation Act. Also,
there is no radioactive waste or facilities which need intervention for reasons ofradiation protection as the results of past practices.

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H-3 Permit of Business
Article 13
1. Each Contracting Party shall take the appropriate steps to ensure that procedures are
established and implemented for a proposed radioactive waste management facility:(i)

to evaluate all relevant site-related factors likely to affect the safety of such a facility
during its operating lifetime as well as that of a disposal facility after closure;(ii) to evaluate the likely safety impact of such a facility on individuals, society and theenvironment,

taking into account possible evolution of the site conditions of disposal

facilities after closure;(iii) to make information on the safety of such a facility available to the general public;(iv) consult Contracting Parties in the vicinity of such a facility, insofar as they are likely tobe affected by that facility, and provide them, upon their request, with general data
relating to the facility to enable them to evaluate the likely safety impact of the facility
upon their territory.
2. In so doing, each Contracting Party shall take the appropriate steps to ensure that such
facilities shall not have unacceptable effects on other Contracting Parties by being sited inaccordance with the general safety requirements of Article 11.

H-3-1 Permit of Waste Management Business
Any person who intends to carry out business of radioactive waste disposal or storage
shall, for each category of business (cat-1 radioactive waste disposal, cat-2 radioactive
waste disposal, radioactive waste interim storage), obtain Permit of the NRA pursuant
to the provisions of the Reactor Regulation Act. The applicant shall submit application
documents which describe required items such as:•

the property and quantity of nuclear fuel material or material contaminated with
nuclear fuel material that are to be disposed of;•the location, structure and equipment of the radioactive waste disposal facility or
the radioactive waste storage facility, and the methods of disposal or storage;•

the timing for amendment of the measures taken for the operational safety of cat2 waste disposal in accordance with the decay of radioactivity;•

construction plan for radioactive waste disposal facility or radioactive waste
storage;137

•matters regarding quality management system necessary for operational safety forthe radioactive waste disposal facility or the radioactive waste storage facility.

It is required to attach a document as an appendix which explains a state of weather,ground, hydrology, earthquake and social environment of the location.
When giving a Permit for the relevant business, the NRA shall not issue a Permit unless
it conforms to the Licensing Standards as:•

the location, structure and equipment of the radioactive waste disposal facility or
the radioactive waste storage facility are such that they will not hinder theprevention of disasters resulting from nuclear fuel material or material
contaminated with nuclear fuel material in accordance with the LicensingStandards.

With regard to the design of waste disposal facility to reduce the risk associated withthe events assumed not only during under the regulation but also after the period of
regulation, the applicant is requested to explain measures to ensure isolation, including
the selection of an appropriate location (in case of intermediate and geological disposal),and measures for confinement and shielding at the review stage of business application.
The NRA confirms the validity, and if it complies with the requirements including dose
limit for the public, the NRA permits the business.
For intermediate depth disposal, it is under consideration to provide the guideline forthe Licensing Standards, that against the natural barrier where access tunnel is set up,
back-filling not to create path that radioactive material can easily transit between
ground-level and disposal facility shall be expected to be feasible, taking into accountdrilling and backfilling technology reasonably available at the design stage.
In addition, it is under consideration to require in the guideline for the LicensingStandards of intermediate depth disposal that the waste disposal site can be technicallyconstructible in the site environment; that after comparison and consideration of
construction and installation technologies, and the designs utilizing those technologies,
licensees shall select structure and specification by thebest available techniques; andthat licensees shall explain the scientific and technical basis of the design andtechnology.
The Licensing Standards for cat-2 waste disposal facilities require that the location of
the facility should not be in the areas where natural phenomena such as volcanic138activity or fault activity may have a significant public impact on facilities. Furthermore,
it also requires that the exposed dose of the public will not exceed the dose constraint
through the evaluation of scenarios in consideration of natural phenomena reasonably
assumed including even after the termination of license.
The review meetings of the NRA with regard to the procedure related to the permission
for waste management business, are open to the public, e.g. accept audience to ameeting, live streaming on YouTube, etc., therefore, the information on the review
process and result are available to members of the public.
H-3-2 Consideration of the Effects on Other Contracting Parties
Japan is an islands nation surrounded by ocean and with no land links withneighboring countries. Moreover, the radioactive waste management facilities in Japanare located in a place with sufficient distance from the land of neighboring country.
Therefore, the possibility of significant radiological impact on other Contracting Parties
is extremely low. Thus, no framework for international discussion on siting of aradioactive waste management facility is established.

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H-4 Design and Construction of Facilities
Article 14
Each Contracting Party shall take the appropriate steps to ensure that:(i)the design and construction of a radioactive waste management facility provide forsuitable measures to limit possible radiological impacts on individuals, society and theenvironment, including those from discharges or uncontrolled releases;(ii) at the design stage, conceptual plans and, as necessary, technical provisions for thedecommissioning of a radioactive waste management facility other than a disposal
facility are taken into account;(iii) at the design stage, technical provisions for the closure of a disposal facility areprepared;(iv) the technologies incorporated in the design and construction of a radioactive waste
management facility are supported by experience, testing or analysis.

H-4-1 Approval of Design and Construction Plan
H-4-1-1

Radioactive Waste Storage Facilities

Licensees who have obtained Permit of Business of specific radioactive waste storage
facility (a facility to handle nuclear fuel material or material contaminated with nuclear
fuel material over 3.7 TBq, refer to the beginning of Section H.) should obtain Approvalof Design and Construction Plan based on the Reactor Regulation Act before starting
construction. The NRA approves the licensee’s Design and Construction Plan are
consistent with the contents of obtained Permit of Business and the TechnicalStandards.
With regard to the limit of radiation effect which might threat an individual, society
and the environment, licensees are required by the Technical Standards to design thefacility so as not to cause radiation hazards to the public by the damage from estimatedseismic force taking into account the estimated level of radiological impact to the public
at the loss of safety function, and take appropriate measures in the design so that dosesin the vicinity of the facility caused by direct radiation and sky shine radiation shall fall
below enough the dose limit defined by the NRA.
Licensees are required to append the document that explains Design and Construction

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Plan of the equipment in radioactive waste storage facility which is installed for process
or storage of radioactive waste generated in the facility, and explains that it complies
with the Technical Standards.
The technology used for the design and construction of a specified waste storage
facility is evaluated in the process of the review of Design and Construction Plan. It isan obligation of licensees to prove that the facility is designed to achieve performance
which satisfies the Technical Standards, which ensures that the appropriate technology
is applied to the design and construction. In addition, licensees are required to preparea design and development plan, and to check, verify and validate it in the quality
management system, and thus ensures that the facility complies to the TechnicalStandards in terms of the required performance, purpose of usage, or the requirements
concerning to the method of usage.
H-4-1-2

Waste Disposal Facilities

As reported at the beginning of Section H, surface facility such as reception facility forradioactive waste out of cat-1 waste disposal facility is defined as specified cat-1 waste
disposal facility, and required to obtain Approval for Design and Construction Plan
before commencing construction work in the same manner as specified waste storage
facility mentioned in Section H4-1-1.
Out of cat-1 waste disposal facility and cat-2 waste disposal facility, undergroundfacilities (waste disposal site and tunnel) which do not fall under specified cat-1 waste
disposal facility mentioned above are not required to obtain Approval for Design andConstruction Plan, but required to obtain confirmation of the NRA (Confirmation of
Facility). At the construction stage after Permit of Business, licensees submit
application to the NRA for confirmation as to whether waste disposal facility is being
constructed in accordance with the design. The NRA Ordinance on Business requires,in applying for confirmation, submission of documents explaining that the facility
under construction complies with the approved design in addition to the building
method of the facility and the times when the structures of its major portions are readyfor confirmation. The NRA confirms that the waste disposal facility and measures for
operational safety comply with the Technical Standards (stipulated in the NRA
Ordinance on Business). The NRA Ordinance on Business mainly stipulates thefollowing criteria as the Technical Standards.

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•

to be equipped with structures and equipment as permitted;•

not to exceed the amounts of radioactivity for each type of radioactive material as
permitted;•

not to bury explosive materials, materials which corrode other materials seriously
or other dangerous materials;•

to backfill the waste disposal site which has completed burial work.

Technical consideration for closure of the disposal facilities is taken into account fromthe stage of Permit of Business as reported in Section H3-1.
H-4-2 Consideration on Decommissioning at the Design StageAs mentioned in Section E2-2, due to the revision of the Reactor Regulation Act in 2017,
licensees of radioactive waste management business must establish and publish a
Decommissioning Policy immediately after licensing. In the Decommissioning Policy,
method of dismantlement of the facility, decontamination, plan and timeline ofdecommissioning are described, and more practical description will be added in due
course based on the operation status of the facility.
Whendecommissioning

thefacility,

licenseesshallobtainDecommissioning Plan in accordance with Reactor Regulation Act.

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ApprovalofH-5 Assessment of Safety of Facilities
Article 15
Each Contracting Party shall take the appropriate steps to ensure that:(i)before construction of a radioactive waste management facility, a systematic safetyassessment and an environmental assessment appropriate to the hazard presented by
the facility and covering its operating lifetime shall be carried out;(ii) in addition, before construction of a disposal facility, a systematic safety assessment
and an environmental assessment for the period following closure shall be carried out
and the results evaluated against the criteria established by the regulatory body;(iii) before the operation of a radioactive waste management facility, updated and detailed
versions of the safety assessment and of the environmental assessment shall be
prepared when deemed necessary to complement the assessments referred to inparagraph (i).

H-5-1 Radioactive Waste Storage Facilities
The procedure before the construction of radioactive waste storage facilities are asreported in Sections H3 and H4, and through these process the NRA assesses the safety.
Regarding specified waste storage facility, licensees conduct Licensee’s Pre-service
Inspection and the NRA confirms it before commencement of use as reported in Section
H6-1. This confirms the fulfillment of the performance based on safety assessment
carried out before construction.
Concretely, the person who intends to obtain the Permit of Business in the process of
the licensing of the waste interim storage business is required to submit "Document
concerning safety design of radioactive waste storage facilities," "Document concerning
the exposure management to the nuclear fuel material etc. and the disposal ofradioactive waste" and "Document concerning the kind, level and impact of accidents
assumed to be caused when human operational error, failure of the machine or thedevice, flooding, earthquake, fire, and explosion occur in the radioactive waste storage
facility, etc." and to explain the result of the safety assessment. In the course of the
NRA's permission, review of these documents is also included. In the LicensingStandards, required performance which waste interim storage facility should have areprovided, such as prevention of criticality, shielding, confinement, heat removal and143

prevention of damage from fire, earthquake, tsunami, and external impact, andprevention of radiation hazards at the maximum design-base accident and theperformance of each equipment. A systematic evaluation concerning safety is
performed in accordance with this standards.
Licensees are required to obtain the NRA's Approval of Design and Construction Plan
before starting construction of specified waste storage facility after obtaining Permit ofBusiness. In this process of approval, licensees are required to submit document
explaining that, based on the detailed design, the Design and Construction Plancomplies with the Technical Standards. The review of these documents by the NRA is
included in the process of approval. In the Technical Standards, performance needed
for the facility and performance of each equipment are described, such as preventionof criticality, shielding, confinement, heat removal, prevention of damage from fire,
earthquake, tsunami and external impact. And a systematic evaluation concerning
safety is performed in accordance with this standards. In this phase, the evaluation isbased on the concrete facility design, so is more detailed than that of the licensing.

H-5-2 Waste Disposal Facilities
The procedure for the evaluation concerning safety of the waste disposal facility isreported in Section H3 and H4. Regarding specified waste disposal facility (surface
facility such as reception facility for radioactive waste), licensees conduct Licensee’s
Pre-service Inspection and the NRA confirms it before commencement of use asreported in Section H6-2. This confirms the fulfillment of the performance based onsafety assessment carried out before construction.

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H-6 Operation of Facilities
Artic
le 16
Each Contracting Party shall take the appropriate steps to ensure that:(i)the licence to operate a radioactive waste management facility is based upon
appropriate assessments as specified in Article 15 and is conditional on the completionof a commissioning programme demonstrating that the facility, as constructed, isconsistent with design and safety requirements;(ii) operational limits and conditions derived from tests, operational experience and theassessments as specified in Article 15 are defined and revised as necessary;(iii) operation, maintenance, monitoring, inspection and testing of a radioactive waste
management facility are conducted in accordance with established procedures. For adisposal facility the results thus obtained shall be used to verify and to review thevalidity of assumptions made and to update the assessments as specified in Article 15
for the period after closure;(iv) engineering and technical support in all safety-related fields are available throughout
the operating lifetime of a radioactive waste management facility;(v) procedures for characterization and segregation of radioactive waste are applied;(vi) incidents significant to safety are reported in a timely manner by the holder of thelicence to the regulatory body;(vii) programmes to collect and analyse relevant operating experience are established andthat the results are acted upon, where appropriate;(viii) decommissioning plans for a radioactive waste management facility other than adisposal facility are prepared and updated, as necessary, using information obtained
during the operating lifetime of that facility, and are reviewed by the regulatory body.

(ix) plans for the closure of a disposal facility are prepared and updated, as necessary,
using information obtained during the operating lifetime of that facility and arereviewed by the regulatory body.

H-6-1 Radioactive Waste Storage Facilities
The licensees of specified waste storage facility which have obtained Approval of
Design and Construction Plan of the NRA cannot start operation without conducting
Licensee’s Pre-service Inspection and receiving its confirmation of the NRA. Licensee’s
145

Pre-service Inspection checks whether construction and functions are complied with
Design and Construction Plan approved by the NRA and the Technical Standards. In
the Technical Standards, the required function of confinement, shielding, heat removal,
the prevention of damage from fire, earthquake, tsunami, and external impacts aredescribed, and those are confirmed by Licensee’s Pre-service Inspections.
Licensees should obtain Approval of Operational Safety Program from the NRA before
starting construction. The implementation of Operational Safety Programs is requiredby the law, in the case of violation, the NRA may impose penalties such as revocationof permits or suspension of the operation of facilities. The main items to be indicatedin Operational Safety Program are system for operational safety, quality management
system, education on operational safety, access control, oversight and management offacilities, which are detailed in Table H-1.
Licensees shall conduct Licensee’s Periodic Inspection to check whether facilities aremaintained to comply with the regulatory requirements, and shall report the plan andresult to the NRA. The NRA confirms through Nuclear Regulatory Inspections
licensees’ safety activities including its implementation and conformity to Operational
Safety Program.
Licensees have to report to the NRA based on the Reactor Regulation Act when events
designated by the NRA Ordinance occur such as: nuclear fuel material is stolen or
missing; loss of confinement function, shielding, decay heat removal function orfunction for prevention of fire or explosion, or possibility of losing these functions due
to failure of radioactive waste interim storage facility.
In the case of decommissioning of the radioactive waste interim storage facility,
licensees shall obtain Approval of Decommissioning Plan in accordance with theReactor Regulations Act. As for decommissioning measures, licensees are required todismantle the waste storage facility, decontaminate, dispose of the nuclear fuel material,etc., transmit radiation control records to the organization designated by the NRA. The
following instruction should be attached to the application of Decommissioning Plan:•

Management of radiation exposure during decommissioning;•

Possible kind, damage and effect of incident in case of error, fault of machine andequipment, flooding, earthquake, fire;•

Distribution of contamination by nuclear fuel material and its assessment method;•

Maintaining functions and performance of waste storage facility during146decommissioning; and period of maintaining above functions.
Acceptance criteria on Approval of Decommissioning Plan is that nuclear fuelmaterials are removed from waste storage facility, the liquid or solid nuclear fuelmaterials are removed, management, processing and disposal of nuclear fuel materials
is appropriate, implementation of decommissioning is appropriate in terms of
prevention of disaster caused by nuclear fuel materials.
H-6-2 Cat-1 Waste Disposal Facilities
Licensees of specified cat-1 waste disposal facility (a facility to receive waste disposalon the ground) which have obtained Approval of Design and Construction Plan by the
NRA cannot start operation without conducting Licensee’s Pre-service Inspection andreceiving its confirmation of the NRA. Licensee’s Pre-service Inspection checks
whether construction and functions are complied with Design and Construction Planapproved by the NRA and the Technical Standards. In the Technical Standards, therequired function of confinement, shielding, heat removal, the prevention of damage
from fire, earthquake, tsunami, and external impacts are described, and those areconfirmed by Licensee’s Pre-service Inspection.
As reported in Section H4-1-2, underground facilities (waste disposal site and tunnel)
which do not fall under specified waste disposal facility are not required to obtain
Approval for Design and Construction Plan, however, it is required to obtainconfirmation of the NRA during operation of the facilities as needed that the facilities
and related measures for operational safety comply with the Technical Standards
stipulated in the NRA Ordinance (Confirmation of Facility).
In addition, wastes to be disposed of are required to obtain confirmation of the NRA
before disposal as to whether they comply with the Technical Standards stipulated in
the NRA Ordinance on Cat-1 Waste Disposal Business (Confirmation of Waste). The
NRA Ordinance on business stipulates mainly following criteria as TechnicalStandards.
•

Radioactive waste to be encapsulated in containers or solidified in containers;•

Not to exceed maximum radioactivity concentration as permitted;•

Not to contain materials with the risk of damaging integrity of waste package;•

To have adequate strength to bear possible load under the condition of disposal;•

To have no marked failure; and•To indicate serial number.

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Licensees should obtain Approval of Operational Safety Program from the NRA before
starting construction. The implementation of Operational Safety Program is requiredby the law, in the case of violation, the NRA can impose penalties such as revocationof permits or suspension of the operation of facilities within 1 year. The main items to
be indicated in Operational Safety Program are system for operational safety, quality
management system, education on operational safety, access control, oversight andmanagement systems which are detailed in Table H-2.
Based on the Reactor Regulation Act, licensees shall conduct Licensee’s Periodic
Inspection to check whether facilities are maintained to comply with the regulatory
requirements, and shall report the plan and result to the NRA. The NRA confirms
through Nuclear Regulatory Inspections the licensee’s safety activities including its
implementation and conformity to Operational Safety Program. .
Licensees have to report to the NRA based on the Reactor Regulation Act in the samemanner as waste storage facility reported in Section H6-1 when events designated by
the NRA occur.
Licensees of cat-1 waste disposal business is required to develop Closure Plan andobtain the NRA's approval when the tunnel of the facility is closed. Licensees are
required to describe the plan concerning back-filling the tunnel, blockage of the pithead,and other measures in Closure Plan, and to attach document concerning managementof radiation exposure during closure; possible kind of incident, damage and effect incase of error, fault of machine or equipment, flooding, earthquake, or fire, etc.;
maintaining functions and performance during closure and period of maintaining
above functions. Approval criteria for Closure Plan is that closing measures are
consistent with contents described in the approved license application documents, andthat the closing measures are appropriate for prevention of disaster by the nuclear fuelmaterials.
Upon closure, licensees of cat-1 waste disposal business are required to obtain theconfirmation of the NRA for each step of the tunnel closure which the NRA decides
that the closing measures are conducted in accordance with Closure Plan.
Licensees of waste disposal business is required to obtain Approval of
Decommissioning Plan of the NRA based on the Reactor Regulation Act when thedisposal business is terminated. As for termination of license, licensees are required todismantle auxiliary facility at the site of waste disposal facility, decontaminate, dispose148

of nuclear fuel material, and transmit radiation control records to the organization
designated by the NRA. Licensees are required to append documents to the applicationof Decommissioning Plan in the same manner as radioactive waste storage facilities
reported in Section H6-1. Approval criteria of Decommissioning Plan is that backfillingof all the tunnels are completed, and that management, processing and disposal of
nuclear fuel material are appropriate, implementation of decommissioning isappropriate in terms of prevention of disaster caused by nuclear fuel materials.
H-6-3 Cat-2 Waste Disposal Facilities
As reported in Section H4-1-2, cat-2 waste disposal facilities are not required to obtain
Approval for Design and Construction plan, however, it is required to obtainconfirmation of the NRA during operation of the facilities as needed that the facilities
and related measures for operational safety comply with the Technical Standards
stipulated in the NRA Ordinance (Confirmation of Facility).
In addition, wastes to be disposed of are required to obtain confirmation of the NRA
before disposal as to whether they comply with the Technical Standards stipulated in
the NRA Ordinance on Cat-2 Waste Disposal Business (Confirmation of Waste). The
NRA Ordinance on business stipulates mainly following criteria as TechnicalStandards:•

Radioactive waste to be encapsulated in containers or solidified in containers;•

Not to exceed maximum radioactivity concentration as permitted;•

Not to contain materials with the risk of damaging integrity of waste package;•

To have adequate strength to bear possible load expected until termination of thedisposal;•

To minimize the amount of scattering or leaking radioactive materials due todropping impact from the postulated maximum height; and•To indicate serial number.

Licensees who obtains the permission of the activity of the cat-2 waste disposal facilities
are required to get the confirmation of the NRA that the facility and its Operational
Safety Program complies to regulatory requirements of the NRA Ordinance. Licensees
should obtain Approval of Operational Safety Program from the NRA before starting
construction. The implementation of Operational Safety Program is required by the law,in case of violation, the NRA can impose penalties such as revocation of permits andsuspension of the operation of facilities. The main items indicated in Operational Safety149Program are system for operational safety, quality management system, education on
operational safety, access control, oversight, management of facilities and Reception
Criteria for Waste, which are detailed in Table H-3. It shall be demonstrated in the
Operational Safety Program that “Waste Acceptance Criteria” developed by licensees
comply with the Technical Standards stipulated in the NRA Ordinance on Business.
The NRA confirms through Nuclear Regulatory Inspections the licensees’ safety
activities including its implementation and conformity to Operational Safety Program.
Licensees have to report to the NRA in accordance with the Reactor Regulation Act inthe same manner as waste storage facility reported in Section H6-1when events
designated by the NRA occur.
Regarding intermediate depth disposal among cat-2 disposal, licensees are required todevelop Closure Plan and obtain the approval of the NRA when the tunnel of the
facility is closed in the same manner as cat-1 disposal facility reported in Section H6-2.
Upon closure, licensees are required to obtain the confirmation by the NRA with eachstep of the tunnel closure which the NRA decides that the closing measures are
conducted in accordance with the Closure Plan.
For near surface disposal among cat-2 disposal, licensees shall obtain the confirmationby the NRA upon covering disposal site with soil and sand so as to make sure that themeasures comply with the Technical Standards.
Licensees of the waste disposal business are required to obtain Approval of
Decommissioning Plan of the NRA based on the Reactor Regulation Act when thedisposal business is terminated. As for termination of license for waste disposal
business, licensees are required to dismantle auxiliary facility, decontaminate, disposeof the nuclear fuel material, etc., transmit radiation control records to the organization
designated by the NRA and take measures to show the location of waste disposal
facility.
Licensees are required to attach documents to the application of Decommissioning Planin the same manner as waste storage facility reported in Section H6-1.
Approval criteria of Decommissioning Plan is:•

Passing the timing for amendment of the measures taken for the operational safetyof cat-2 waste disposal in accordance with decay of radioactivity;•

There is no need to take measures for preservation of the waste disposal site;•

Management, processing and disposal of nuclear fuel material are appropriate;

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•

Termination of license is appropriate in terms of prevention of disaster caused by
nuclear fuel materials.

H-6-4 Engineering and Technical Support
When engineering and technical support are needed for ensuring safety of waste
storage facility and waste disposal facility, licensees that install those facilities can takeflexible measures at their discretion.
When licensees subcontract technical support for the operation management offacilities to specialized contractors, since it is important that the contractors areequipped with competence and prerequisites necessary for ensuring safety of the
facilities, licensees are required to appropriately audit and manage the contractors inaccordance with its own quality management system in its Operational Safety Program,and the NRA confirms this by Nuclear Regulatory Inspection, etc.
H-6-5 Characterization and Classification of Radioactive Waste
Radioactive wastes are disposed of appropriately after understanding theircharacteristics so that they may not have serious impact on human health.
As for the classification bearing the disposal methods of radioactive waste in mind,
classification standards based on the kind and quantity of each radioactive substanceincluded in radioactive waste are described in the Cabinet Order for Enforcement of
the Reactor Regulation Act. Concretely speaking, the waste which radioactivity
concentration exceeds the following limits shall be disposed of as cat-1 waste:•

Carbon-14

10 PBq/ton•

Chlorine-36

10 TBq/ton•

Technetium-99

100 TBq/ton•

Iodine-129

1 TBq/ton•

Alfa-emitting radionuclides

100 GBq/ton

Other waste including radioactive substances are in the scope of cat-2 waste disposal.
Regarding the cat-2 waste disposal, the concentration (upper) limit for eachradionuclide are stipulated in the NRA Ordinance as listed in the following table, andbased on these limitation radioactive waste is classified to either of intermediate depth
disposal, pit disposal or trench disposal:

151Intermediate

Pit Disposal

Depth Disposal
Carbon-14

10 PBq / ton

Chlorine-36

10 TBq / ton

100 GBq / ton

Cobalt-60

1 PBq / ton

Nickel-63

10 TBq/ tonStrontium-90

10 TBq/ tonTechnetium-99

100 TBq / ton

Iodine-129

1 TBq / ton

Cesium-137
Alfa-emitting
Radionuclides

10 GBq/ ton
10 MBq/ ton

1 GBq/ ton
100 TBq/ ton

100 GBq/ ton

Trench Disposal

100 MBq/ ton

10 GBq/ ton

The person who intends to conduct waste disposal business should obtain the Permitof Business according to the above-mentioned classification. However, it is notguaranteed to be granted license when the radioactivity is equal to or less than theabove concentration limit. The license application shall indicate the upper limit ofradionuclide concentrations and total activities based on the site specificcharacterization and the design of facility, which will be reviewed for its validity
H-6-6 Use of Operating Experience
Licensees are requested to evaluate the status of its operational safety activity, evaluate
the status of reflecting state of the art technology to the operational safety activity, andconduct a technical evaluation concerning the aging in every 10 years in accordancewith the NRA Ordinance on Business of waste management. Licensees are required toevaluate the implementation status of reflecting the lessons learned from incidents ortroubles at the facility as part of the status of its operational safety activity, and evaluate
the lesson learned from operational experiences of domestic and overseas facilities asa part of status of reflecting state of the art technology.
Reflection of operating experience into regulation and its handling by licensees are asreported in Section G6.

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Table H1

Required Items to be Described in Operational Safety Programof Waste Storage Facility•

The system for implementing relative laws and Operational Safety Programs•

Quality Management System for waste disposal facilities•

Duties and organization of personnel who manage and operate waste storage
facilities•

The job description and extent of duty of Chief Engineer of Radioactive Waste andthe positioning in organization and necessary authority for supervising ofoperational safety•

Education on operational safety for operator and management staff n waste storage
facilities•

Operating equipment which need special management for operational safety•

Establishing Radiation Controlled Area, Surrounding Monitored Area and access
control for those areas•

Exhaust gas and effluent monitoring equipment•

Dose, dose equivalent, concentration of radioactive substance, monitoring densityof surface contaminated by radioactive material and removal of contamination•

Management of dose meter and methods of dose monitoring•

Waste receipts, transportation and other handlings for radioactive waste•

Measures for emergency•

Measures for operational safety of waste storage facility against postulated events
for the design•

Appropriate report and record of operational safety for waste storage facilities•

Facility management for waste storage facility•

Periodic assessment for waste storage facilities•

Distributing and sharing technical information obtained from maintenanceinspection operators to other waste storage facilities operators•

Disclosing information of non-conformance in case of occurrence on nonconformance•

Other necessary items of safety operation for waste storage facilities

153

Table H2

Required Items to be Described in Operational Safety Programof Cat-1 Waste Disposal Facility•

The system for implementing relative laws and Operational Safety Program•

Quality Management System for waste disposal facilities•

Duties and organization of personnel who manage and operate waste disposal
facilities•

The job description and extent of duty of Chief Engineer for Radioactive Waste
Handling and the positioning in organization and necessary authority forsupervising of operational safety•

Education on Operational Safety for operator and management staff in waste
disposal facilities•

Operating equipment which need special management for operational safety•

Establishing Radiation Controlled Area, Surrounding Monitored Area andPreservation Area, and access control for those area•

Exhaust gas and effluent monitoring equipment•

Dose, equivalent dose, concentration of radioactive substance, monitoring densityof surface contaminated by radiation substance and removal of contamination.

•

Management of dose meter and methods of dose monitoring•

Waste receipts, transportation and other handling for spent radioactive waste•

Measures for emergency•

Measures for operational safety of waste disposal facility against postulated events
for the design•

Appropriate report and record of operational safety for waste disposal facilities•

Facility management for cat-1 facility•

Periodic assessment for waste disposal facilities•

Distributing and sharing technical information obtained from maintenanceinspection operators to other waste disposal facilities operators•

Disclosing information of non-conformance in case of occurrence on nonconformance•

Other necessary items of safety operation for waste disposal facilities

154

Table H3

Required Items to be Described in Operational Safety Programof Cat-2 Waste Disposal Facility•

The system for implementing relative laws and Operational Safety Program•

Quality Management System for cat-1 waste disposal facility•

Duties and organization of personnel who manage and operate waste disposal
facilities•

The job description and extent of duty of Chief Engineer for Radioactive Waste
and the positioning in organization and necessary authority for supervising ofoperational safety•

Education on operational safety for operator and management staff in waste
disposal facilities•

Operational safety of cat-2 waste disposal facility in line with decay of radiation•

Establishing Radiation Controlled Area, Surrounding Monitored Area andPreserved Area and access control for those area•

Exhaust gas and effluent monitoring equipment•

Dose, equivalent dose, concentration of radioactive substance, monitoring densityof surface contaminated by radiation substance and removal of contamination.

•

Items concerning the observation of the site and the circumference to obtain thenecessary information for the periodical evaluation of the waste disposal facility.

•

Management of dose meter and methods of dose monitoring•

Waste Acceptance Criteria•

Waste receipts, transportation and other handling for waste disposal facilities•

Measures for emergency•

Measures for operational safety of waste disposal facility against postulated
events for the design•

Appropriate report and record of operational safety for waste disposal facilities•

Facility management for waste disposal facilities•

Periodic assessment for waste disposal facilities•

Distributing and sharing technical information obtained from maintenanceinspection operators to other cat-1 and cat-2 waste disposal facilities operators•

Disclosing information of non-conformance in case of occurrence on nonconformance•

Other necessary items of safety operation for waste disposal facilities

155

Table H4

Required Items to be Described in Radiation Hazards Prevention
Program of RI Waste Management Facility•

Organization and duties engaging safety management•

Maintenance, management and inspection of facility•

Reception, carrying out , storage, transportation and disposal•

Measurement of amount of radiation and situation of contamination and actions
for the result of measurement•

Education and training necessary for prevention of radiation hazards•

Medical examination•

Medical measures in need for persons who have suffered or may have sufferedfrom radiation hazard•

Registration and preservation concerning radiation hazards•

Measures against earthquake, fire and other disasters•

Measures on hazards•

Informing when the radiation hazard occurred or may have occurred•

Improving services concerning prevention of radiation hazards•

Reporting situations of radiation control•

Other items for prevention of radiation hazard

156

H-7 Institutional Measures after Closure
Article 17
Each Contracting Party shall take the appropriate steps to ensure that after closure of adisposal facility:(i)

records of the location, design and inventory of that facility required by the regulatory
body are preserved;(ii) active or passive institutional controls such as monitoring or access restrictions arecarried out, if required; and(iii) if, during any period of active institutional control, an unplanned release of radioactive
materials into the environment is detected, intervention measures are implemented, if
necessary.

Regarding cat-1 waste disposal (geological disposal) and intermediate depth disposal
within cat-2 waste disposal, the NRA shall designate a certain range of threedimensional area including waste disposal facility site, surrounding area andunderground of those area (designated waste disposal area) before starting operation.
Within the designated waste disposal area, no person shall excavate site without apermit from the NRA. This provisions are stipulated in the amendment of the Reactor
Regulation Act promulgated in April 2017.
In addition, according to this Act, the NRA shall give public notice of records for thedesignated waste disposal area and keep them permanently.
This institutional control is maintained after closure of the site and also even after thetermination of the license.
Also, the NRA Ordinance based on the Act requires that, from the start of business,
licensees for cat-2 waste disposal business shall monitor the leakage of radioactive
material and shall take necessary measures to prevent abnormal leakage of radioactive
material such as repair of the disposal facility in case of detecting abnormal leakage. Thisrequirement is maintained after closure of the site till the termination of the license.

157

Section I Transboundary Movement
Article 27
1.

Each Contracting Party involved in transboundary movement shall take the appropriate
steps to ensure that such movement is undertaken in a manner consistent with theprovisions of this Convention and relevant binding international instruments.

In so doing:(i)a Contracting Party which is a State of origin shall take the appropriate steps to ensurethat transboundary movement is authorized and takes place only with the priornotification and consent of the State of destination;(ii) transboundary movement through States of transit shall be subject to those international
obligations which are relevant to the particular modes of transport utilized;(iii) a Contracting Party which is a State of destination shall consent to a transboundary
movement only if it has the administrative and technical capacity, as well as theregulatory structure, needed to manage the spent fuel or the radioactive waste in amanner consistent with this Convention;(iv) a Contracting Party which is a State of origin shall authorize a transboundary movement
only if it can satisfy itself in accordance with the consent of the State of destination thatthe requirements of subparagraph (iii) are met prior to transboundary movement;(v) a Contracting Party which is a State of origin shall take the appropriate steps to permit
re-entry into its territory, if a transboundary movement is not or cannot be completed inconformity with this Article, unless an alternative safe arrangement can be made.
2.

A Contracting Party shall not licence the shipment of its spent fuel or radioactive waste toa destination south of latitude 60 degrees south for storage or disposal.

3.
(i)Nothing in this Convention prejudices or affects:
the exercise, by ships and aircraft of all States, of maritime, river and air navigationrights and freedoms, as provided for in international law;(ii)

rights of a Contracting Party to which radioactive waste is exported for processing toreturn, or provide for the return of, the radioactive waste and other products after
treatment to the State of origin;(iii) the right of a Contracting Party to export its spent fuel for reprocessing;(iv) rights of a Contracting Party to which spent fuel is exported for reprocessing to return,or provide for the return of, radioactive waste and other products resulting from
reprocessing operations to the State of origin.

158

The electric power utilities in Japan have concluded reprocessing contracts with theUnited Kingdom and French companies and exported 7,100MTU of spent fuel between
1969 and 2001. They, in return, receive nuclear fuel material recovered from the spent
fuel and vitrified waste generated in the reprocessing. 1,830 vitrified waste canisters
were sent back to Japan between 1995 and March 2020and the remaining packages will
be returned in the next approximately three years. As they are constructing a
reprocessing plant at Rokkasho Village in Aomori Prefecture since 1993, there has notbeen any contract of spent fuel with the United Kingdom and French companies after
2002.

I-1

Transboundary Movement
I-1-1

Steps to Ensure Prior Notification and Consent of the State of Destination

For the export of the spent fuel or the radioactive waste, the Foreign Exchange andForeign Trade Control Law provides that an applicant should apply for and obtain the
Export Permit from the Minister of METI. This Export Permit should be applied once it
is confirmed that the authorities of the State of destination recognized the administrative
and technical capacity of the importer.
I-1-2

Steps to Ensure Transboundary Movement Subject to International
Obligations

Japanese domestic laws, such as the Ship Safety Law, etc., have incorporated obligations
under the IAEA Regulations for the Safe Transport of Radioactive Materials and relevantinternational conventions on each mode of transport, such as International Convention
for the Safety of Life at Sea (SOLAS), etc.
I-1-3

Consent as a State of Destination

As stated in Section B, G, H and I, Japan has the administrative and technical capacity,
as well as the regulatory structure, needed to manage the spent fuel or the radioactive
waste. That means measures for article 27 (iii) of JC convention are to be taken.

159I-1-4

Confirmation of the Capacity of a State of Destination

The Foreign Exchange and Foreign Trade Control Law provides that an exporter should
apply for and obtain the Export Permit from the Minister of METI for the export of the
spent fuel or the radioactive waste. The Minister of METI judges the grant of the Export
Permit after confirming the general conditions of safety of the country of destinationsuch as its regulatory structure, the membership in relevant international agreements,
and the administrative and technical capacity of the importing body.
I-1-5

Steps to Permit Re-entry in case of Uncompleted Transboundary
Movement

The Import Trade Control Order allows, as special exemption, re-entry of exported
goods, in case of uncompleted transboundary movement so long as original
characteristics and configuration of exported goods are preserved, and the other case of
the exemption is a transport accident. Re-entry of exported spent fuel and radioactive
waste is allowed by that provision.

I-2

Prohibition of Shipment to a Destination South of Latitude 60
Degrees SouthThe Foreign Exchange and Foreign Trade Control Law provides that an applicant should
apply for and obtain the Export Permit from the Minister of Ministry of Economy, Tradeand Industry for the export of the spent fuel or the radioactive waste. The Export Permit
is judged by considering implementation of international convention for the export ofspent fuel or radioactive waste to a destination south of latitude 60 degrees south forstorage or disposal.

160

Section J Disused Sealed Sources
Article 28
1. Each Contracting Party shall, in the framework of its national law, take the appropriate steps
to ensure that the possession, remanufacturing or disposal of disused sealed sources takes
place in a safe manner.
2. A Contracting Party shall allow for reentry into its territory of disused sealed sources if, in
the framework of its national law, it has accepted that they be returned to a manufacturer
qualified to receive and possess the disused sealed sources.

J-1

Regulatory Framework for Sealed Sources

As stated in Section E2-4, the use and disposal of radioisotopes and the use of radiation
generation equipment is regulated by the RI Regulation Act as mentioned in Section E21. Sealed sources are also regulated by this Act. Licensees and registrants are responsible
for safety and ensuring that radioisotopes are properly controlled.
The NRA, as the competent regulatory authority, conducts safety reviews and on-site
inspections in accordance with this Act.

J-2

Management of Radioactive Sources

Legal restrictions are imposed to ensure that the possession of radioactive sources is notallowed other than authorized licensees or registrants. There is a well-establishedmechanism for the handover of disused radioactive sources to licensees or registrants
with the requisite license or registrants. Licensees and registrants are obliged to submit
notification of a decommissioning plan to the NRA when they terminate and abolish theuse of all the sources, and to report the result of the handover.
Licensees of use of radioactive sources shall conduct an annual inventory check of bothsealed and unsealed radioactive sources in their possession and report the results to the
NRA, to prevent the loss of radioactive sources. The NRA carries out on-site
inspections, if needed, and checks that the inventory of radioactive sources corresponds
to the content permitted to the licensees. The RI Regulation Act prescribes penalties andunderlines that responsibility for managing the safety of radioactive sources lies withlicensees.

161

In accordance with the IAEA “Code of Conduct on the Safety and Security of Radioactive
Sources,” licensees must report to the NRA details of the specification, receipt andtransfer of any sealed radioisotopes above a specified amount which have potential
significant risks to human health. In addition, they must provide the NRA with a reporton any such sources in their possession at the end of each fiscal year.
Most sources in Japan are imported from overseas; sealed sources with a long half-lifeand high activity are returned to the original foreign manufacturers. Regarding the
distribution of radioisotopes and sealed sources in Japan, a single supplier (the Japan
Radioisotope Association) organizes the entire process, from distribution and deliveryof almost all radioactive sources to the collection of disused radioactive sources.
As a result, there have been no serious radiation hazard incidents involving radioactive
sources or orphan sources to date.
J-2-1

Criteria for the Storage of Disused Sealed Sources

The RI Regulation Act prescribes the following regulatory requirements relating to thestorage of sealed sources.
•

Sealed sources shall be put in containers and stored in storage or bins;•

Sealed sources shall not be stored in quantities exceeding storage capacity;•

Appropriate measures shall be taken to prevent radiation workers being exposed
to levels exceeding the effective dose limit; such as•

installing shields;

distancing personnel from sealed sources; andshortening the time during which personnel may be exposed to radiation;

Appropriate measures, such as immobilizing storage bins, shall be taken toprevent containers storing sealed sources from being transferred from one place toanother without permission;•

A notice showing the precautions necessary to prevent radiation hazards shall be
posted at an appropriate location within storage facilities; and•Appropriate measures shall be taken to prevent unauthorized persons entering acontrolled area.
J-2-2

Response to Missing Radioactive Sources

In accordance with the regulation, in case of loss of any radioactive sources, licensees
shall immediately report the matter to the police and the NRA. The NRA will order162

licensees to conduct an immediate search for the lost source, while the police will carryout a criminal investigation if the loss is associated with a criminal act.
The NRA will also conduct an International Nuclear and Radiological Event Scale(INES) rating of the loss, in accordance with the additional guidance for rating events
related to radiation sources, and will report the resultant rating to the IAEA.
J-2-3

Response to Orphan Sources

If an orphan source is found, the NRA requests and instructs the manager of the site or
facility to place the source in a safe condition. The NRA or cooperation organization
might dispatch personnel to the site or facility. Basically the orphan source will be
managed by the owner of the site or facility in compliance with the law, but in mostcases, through the NRA’s mediation and request by the owner, the Japan Radioisotope
Association collects and properly manages orphan sources.
J-2-4

Response to Accidents Involving Radioactive Sources

In the event of an accident involving a radioactive source, the RI Regulation Act
mandates licensees or registrants to take emergency measures as necessary, such as fire
extinguishing or prevention of fire spreading in case of fire, evacuation warning, rescue
and evacuation, prevention of contamination spreading and decontamination, transferof radioisotopes to safe place and lockdown measure except persons concerned.
The NRA, the police and fire service will carry out immediate initial measuresdepending on the notification. Meanwhile, the NRA will dispatch personnel to instruct
licensees on the proper measures to be implemented.
J-2-5

Long-Term Management of Sealed Sources Unreturnable to the
Manufacturers

As previously described, most sealed sources used in Japan are manufactured abroad,imported and then returned to foreign manufacturers after use. Therefore, Japan has
few sealed sources that are unreturnable to the manufacturers. The storage andmanagement of some unreturnable sealed sources are carried out pursuant to the RI
Regulation Act. Accordingly, there is no specific issue at present concerning
unreturnable sealed sources.

163

J-3

Reentry of Returning Sealed Sources

The reentry of approved sealed sources which have been returned from abroad by amanufacturer licensed under the RI Regulation Act is allowed within the scope of thestorage capacity stipulated in the license. In this situation, licensees, when importing
such sources, shall comply with regulation or procedures concerning import-export
management consistent with the IAEA’s Guidance on the Import and Export ofRadioactive Sources. A manufacturer intending to possess or renew returned sealed
sources is required to store them in accordance with the storage criteria prescribed in the
RI Regulation Act.

164

Section K Planned Activities to Improve Safety
K-1 General Efforts to Improve Safety during Reporting Period
K-1-1 Conformity Review for Spent Fuel/Radioactive Waste Management
Facilities
In accordance with the Reactor Regulation Act amended in 2012, licensees are obliged
to conform to the latest regulatory requirements, i.e. Licensing Standards and TechnicalStandards, for their facilities which have already obtained Permit of Business. Nuclear
fuel cycle facilities shall obtain permit and approval through conformity review to the
new regulatory requirements enforced in December 2013, which embodies the backfitting system pursuant to the Reactor Regulation Act with exemption for operating
waste disposal facility. Conformity reviews are carried out both for existing facilities
to the new regulatory standards as back-fitting and for existing facilities with changes
or new constructions.
The NRA is reviewing conformity for the following facilities which correspond to therelevant definition of this Convention, as of March 2020.
Spent fuel management facilities:

Reprocessing facility of JNFL; andSpent fuel interim storage facility of Recyclable-Fuel Storage Co. (RFS).

Radioactive waste management facilities:


Waste storage facility and cat-2 disposal facility (expansion of the facility) of JNFL;
and

Cat-2 disposal facility (new build) of JAPC;

Waste storage facility of JAEAFor example, regarding reprocessing facilities, in accordance with the Reactor
Regulation Act, the NRA may order suspension of operation, modification, repair ortransfer of the facility, specification of operating method or other actions required toensure operational safety, if the location, structure, or equipment of the facility does
not conform to the Licensing Standards. If licensees do not comply with the order, the165

NRA may revoke the Permit of Business, or may order suspension of the business fora period not exceeding 1 year. The Act stipulates the similar provisions for spent fuelinterim storage and radioactive waste interim storage and disposal, and thus
conformity to the new regulatory requirements has become legal obligations.
The JNFL, for reprocessing facility and radioactive waste interim storage facility,
applied for the conformity review for amendment of Permit of Business in January 2014
and the NRA issued the said Permit of Business in July 2020 and August 2020,
respectively. RFS, for spent fuel interim storage facility, submitted the application forthe conformity review to the NRA in January 2014; the JNFL applied for the cat-2 waste
disposal facility in August 2018; and the JAPC applied for the cat-2 waste disposal
facility in July 2015. In regard to the waste storage facility of JAEA, JAEA submitted
the application in February 2014 and revised the application documents 4 times. The
NRA issued the said Permit of Business in August 2018.
To ensure transparency and openness of decision-making process for regulation, the
NRA has a policy that meetings such as conformity review meetings are generally open
to the public. Therefore, the public are able to listen to meetings as audience, throughwebcasting on YouTube and recorded video afterwards. In addition, materials
distributed at conformity review meetings are made available beforehand at the NRA
website and the minutes are disclosed afterwards. When a meeting deals withconfidential information such as nuclear security matters, it is not open to the public
and thus the materials and minutes are also not open.
K-1-2 Communication with Stakeholders
The NRA holds “Exchange of opinions with CEOs of major nuclear utilities” since 2014,
open to the public, to promote efforts fostering safety culture and enhancing safety,
and to hear licensees’ basic policy for safety improvement activities and perspectives
on current regulatory system. Also, the NRA holds “Exchange of opinions with chief
nuclear officers (CNOs) of major nuclear utilities” since 2016, open to the public, tocontribute to smooth introduction of new regulation, regulatory requirements toenhance predictability, and improvement and clarification of safety reviews.
The NRA has discussed with licensees or potential licensees on the regulatory
framework for intermediate depth disposal described in K-2-2, and the clearance
regulation described in E-2-3-3 and F-4-5. In the discussion of intermediate depth
disposal, the potential licensees introduced the temporally designed waste package,166

assumed design of the disposal facility. The NRA and potential licensees continue todiscuss the technical issues for establishing the regulatory framework for intermediate
depth disposal. In the discussion of the clearance, the licensees described the details of
approaches to treat the uncertainties in the measurement and evaluation for theclearance.
The NRA has disclosed the “Explanation for the People on New Regulatory
Requirements for Commercial Power Reactors” prepared in a plain but precise manneron the website for the people who are interested in the said requirements. The NRA
participates in public meetings for local residents to make efforts to obtainunderstanding to the nuclear regulatory activities. The NRA started “Visits of nuclear
facilities by NRA Commissioners and exchange of opinions with local parties” basedon the decision in the NRA Commission Meeting in November 2017.
Furthermore, in addition to collecting public comments according to the
Administrative Procedure Act, the NRA collects voluntarily public comments andresponds to them one by one.
K-1-3 Efforts Toward Risk Reduction through Transfer to DPC of Spent Fuel
The NRA has recommended the transfer of spent fuel to dry storage at NPP sites basedon the idea that, for safety risk reduction, dry storage using metal cask which
continuously cools spent fuel by natural convection of air is more desirable thanstorage in spent fuel pool which needs circulation of cooling water and heat exchange
when spent fuel has been cooled for a certain period and its decay heat has been
decreased. For this purpose, the NRA has encouraged the transfer to dry storage in the
dialogue with licensees mentioned in K1-2 and also has worked on improving
regulatory system. Efforts to improve the regulatory system and the status ofapplication related to the transfer are reported below.
Improvement of the regulatory system has progressed as follows. Metal cask is used
for transportation, and thus has a robust design that can withstand a drop duringtransportation. In addition, more flexible operation is possible by using thetransportation cask for storage due to operational merits such as no necessity ofrepacking. On the other hand, in the previous regulatory system, dry storage cask at
NPP sites required applicants to set and evaluate design conditions against natural
hazards for each site such as design basis ground motion by the same procedures as
for spent fuel pool in order to conform to the new regulatory standards, which was an167

obstacle to shift to dry storage. Therefore, the NRA had been considering a reasonable
regulatory system since 2017. The NRA revised/established relevant ordinances andguides followed by promulgation and enforcement in April 2019. Specifically, the NRA
has stipulated in the notification the design conditions for Dual Purpose Cask (DPC)such as the uniform seismic forces, tsunamis, and tornados that are applicable to any
candidate site, which allows applicants to design a DPC using the uniform values
specified in the notification. The NRA also added DPC into the system of Type
Certification for Design and Type Designation when it is designed using the uniform
values such as seismic forces. It allows the NRA to omit the relevant part from reviews
on Installation Permit and Approval of Design and Construction Plan for each site,
provided applicants have once obtained approval of Type Certification for Design andType Designation for a certain DPC. However, site specific conditions such as siteboundary radiation dose or separation distance from a fire source remain to bereviewed for each site.
In addition, application is needed both for transportation and on-site storage before
using DPC on site. The items that are once reviewed for transportation will be omitted
from the review for on-site storage. Along with the revision related to NPP, in order torationalize review processes of DPC design approval and packaging approval fortransportation, the NRA also revised the Notification on Technical Details for Off-Site
Transportation of Nuclear Fuel Materials, etc. and established the guide for application
procedures, and enforced them on April 1, 2020.
The status of application regarding transfer to dry storage is reported below. After
revision of the regulatory system for NPP, the NRA received DPC applications for Type
Certification for Design respectively from Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, Ltd. in January
2020, and from Hitachi-GE Nuclear Energy, Ltd. in March 2020. The NRA’s review
process is ongoing.
While dry storage of spent fuel had been applied at JAPC Tokai No.2 NPS and TEPCO
Fukushima Daiichi NPS before the establishment of the NRA, after the confirmation ofconformity to the new regulatory standards, the NRA received applications foramendment to Reactor Installation Permit for the purpose of the installation of spent
fuel dry storage from Shikoku Electric Power Company (Ikata PS) and Kyushu ElectricPower Company (Genkai NPS). Permit was given to Shikoku Electric Power Company(Ikata PS) in September 2020, and its application for Approval of Design andConstruction Plan will be submitted in the future. The NRA also received application

168

for amendment to Reactor Installation Permit on compliance to the new regulatory
standards including installation of spent fuel dry storage from Chubu Electric Power
Company (Hamaoka NPS), and its conformity review is ongoing.
As for spent fuel interim storage facility which stores spent fuel transported from NPPs,
the NRA received application for conformity review to the new regulatory standards
from RFS, and its review is ongoing. As for Type Certification for Design of dry casks
to be used in a spent fuel interim storage facility, 6 applications were submitted in total
from Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, Ltd., Hitachi-GE Nuclear Energy, Ltd., Toshiba
Energy Systems & Solutions Corporation, Hitachi Zosen Corporation and Transnuclear,
Ltd. 3 Type Certifications for Design have been issued so far.
K-1-4 Implementation of New Inspection System at Spent Fuel Management
Facilities and Radioactive Waste Management Facilities
The inspection for nuclear fuel-related facilities were previously carried out by the
NRA for item by item and indicated its result one by one.
As reported in E-2-2, the new inspection system in full operation since April 2020
covers licensees’ whole activities relevant to safety with a focus on safety issues andconcerns, which makes inspection more flexible. Moreover it specifies obligation on
licensees to carry out inspections by themselves and thus clearly defines that the prime
responsibility for the safety rests with licensees. Oversight is more reinforced by thesystem that NRA inspectors can freely access to licensees’ sites at any time.
The new inspection system introduces a graded approach for all facilities and activities,
i.e. inspection items, the number of samples and the duration required for inspection
are adjusted according to the type of facility business, the significance of impact to thepeople and environment by the scale of facility, different facility stage such as
construction or decommissioning.
K-1-5 Study on Clearance and Disposal of Uranium Waste
The NRA started a study on regulation regarding clearance and disposal of uranium
waste in 2018. Hereinafter “uranium waste” in Japan is defined as radioactive waste
solely contaminated with uranium which is generated from facilities fabricating
nuclear fuel or using nuclear fuel materials.
The NRA has studied on clearance of uranium waste based on the idea of the169radionuclides of natural origin and of artificial origin described in the IAEA General
Safety Requirements GSR Part 3 “Radiation Protection and Safety of Radiation Sources:
International Basic Safety Standards” (2014), and the idea of the EU Council Directive“2013/59/EURATOM” (2013). The NRA has also studied on regulation of disposal of
uranium waste based on the IAEA Specific Safety Requirements No. SSR-5 “Disposalof Radioactive Waste” (2011) and IAEA Specific Safety Guide No. SSG-29 “NearSurface Disposal Facilities for Radioactive Waste” (2014). The NRA continues
discussions on the Japanese regulatory framework for uranium waste taking into
consideration the international standards, international guidance and preceding cases
in various countries.
In April 2019, the NRA held a meeting with the international advisors and had
discussion on the topic of clearance and disposal of waste contaminated with theradionuclides of natural origin. The international advisors mentioned that it isimportant to join discussions for formulation of a document of IAEA standards; itneeds the process based on the safety significance (graded approach); and the influenceof generation of progeny nuclides from uranium which has not yet reached radioactive
equilibrium (build-up) should be considered.
The NRA continues discussions on the regulatory framework of clearance and disposalof uranium waste actively, and has been discussing it in several Commission Meetings,
open to the public, since 2020.

K-2 Response to the Challenges Identified in the 6th Review
Meeting
K-2-1 Achieving the Planned Risk Reduction Program for TEPCO Fukushima
Daiichi NPS
The NRA formulated the "Measures for Mid-term Risk Reduction at TEPCO
Fukushima Daiichi NPS" (Measures for Mid-Term Risk Reduction) in February 2015 inorder to set forth immediate targets for about the next three years from a safety pointof view. According to the progress of the decommissioning work, it has been reviewed
periodically and revised 7 times up to 2019. The revision is discussed by the Committee
on Supervision and Evaluation of the Specified Nuclear Facilities, which monitors andevaluates the efforts toward solving issues and oversees the progress. Among the
Measures for Mid-Term Risk Reduction, a total of 35 targets have been achieved,170

including treatment of contaminated water accumulated in flange-type tanks with highrisk of leakage, treatment of remaining stagnant water in unit 1 radioactive wastebuilding and unit 4 buildings, decision of removal policy of spent fuel assemblies
stored in unit 1 and unit 2 spent fuel pools, and closing of the opening of unit 3 turbine
building to prevent out-flow of stagnant water from the building due to tsunami.
The Measures for Mid-Term Risk Reduction, which had been originally intended to set
forth specific targets to be addressed urgently, was revised considerably in March 2020,
taking into account that the risks which could have a significant impact on the off-sitehave been decreasing and that future goals for risk reduction are expected to take arelatively long period or time because of the work under higher dose rate than everbefore and technical difficulties. In doing so, the NRA reviewed the structure of therisk reduction areas referring to “Mid-and Long-Term Roadmap towards theDecommissioning of TEPCO Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Station” establishedby the Government, developed a picture to aim for in about 10 years, and newly
included the retrieval of fuel debris.; the removal of spent fuel from spent fuel pools of
all units and its dry storage as much as possible; the removal of high-dose zeolite
sandbags which remains in process main building etc. and their stable storage; theresolution of outdoor storage of rubbles etc. and secondary waste generated from water
treatment; the installation of facility to analyze the characteristics of fuel debris andother radioactive solid waste; and the suppression of under-ground water inflow into
reactor buildings, etc. by sealing outer wall of buildings. In addition, it shows major
targets for risk reduction in about 3 years which are required to accomplish the aimed
picture, and therefore it is used as a guideline for measures to be taken.
K-2-2 Progress on Regulatory Framework for Intermediate Depth Disposal
Radioactive waste, e.g. core internals, which radioactivity exceeds the concentration
limit for pit disposal shall be disposed of in the depth enough to isolate it from thebiosphere in order to protect public and environment from radiological consequence.
The NRA started a study on regulatory framework for intermediate depth disposal in
2015. The NRA introduced regulation on prohibition of unauthorized excavation at
disposal site and regulation of closure criteria of access tunnels upon the enforcementof the amendment of the Reactor Regulation Act in April 2017.
Then the NRA continued discussions on regulatory requirements for technical issuesof intermediate depth disposal as well as discussions on the optimization concept to171increase effectiveness of radiological protection in the long-term. The NRA
summarized an outline of regulatory requirements for intermediate depth disposal asfollows in August 2018;(1) Siting of disposal facility: clarification on siting requirements for volcanic activity,
faults, enough depth with due consideration of uplift and erosion, etc.;(2) Structures of disposal facility: concentration limit, containment performance,
safety assessment scenarios including radionuclides concentration limit scenario,
and their dose standards for after closure;(3) Operational safety of disposal facility: requirements against damages fromearthquake or tsunami, requirement on shielding, and requirement on monitoring,(4) Criteria on approval of closure plan and decommissioning plan, and criteria on
approval of the termination of decommissioning; and(5) Regulatory confirmation of waste: Technical Standards for waste package.
In July 2020, the NRA solicited public comments on the outline of regulatory
requirements for intermediate depth disposal. Meanwhile, the NRA continues
discussion on requirements on faults especially evaluation of the extent of mechanicalimpact of fault motion.
K-2-3 Improvement of Regulatory Framework for DPC
As stated in Section K1-3.
K-2-4 Develop Milestones and Plans of deep Disposal Facilities (Set More
Detailed Milestones on the Process Including Strategies for Public
Communication, Regulatory Process, and Related Requirements)
As for the geological disposal of high-level radioactive waste, a final disposal facility
will be constructed through the selection process of three stages, based on "The Final
Disposal Act" enacted in March, 2000.
On the other hand, as we could not even start the literature research by now, we willchange the approach.
Specifically, problem on final disposal of high-level radioactive waste is tackled as the
responsibility of current generation which created radioactive waste not to pass theburden on to future generations and reversibility and retrievability of the radioactive
waste are required to solve the high-level radioactive waste issue so that future172

generations may select the best disposal method at any time in the future, and thenational government indicates the region suitable for site of the final disposal facility
from a scientific viewpoint to ensure a deeper public concern and understanding of thegeological disposal and understanding of site location from the public.(Refer to Section
B)
The government of Japan published the “Nationwide Map of Scientific features for
Geological Disposal” in July, 2017. With this as momentum, the Japanese government
will continue the conversation nationwide for the public acceptance of the final
disposal facilities.
The government of Japan published the “Nationwide Map of Scientific features for
Geological Disposal” in July, 2017. With this as momentum, the government of Japan
started the conversation nationwide for the public acceptance of the final disposal
facility and further started the conversation at the area recognized to be preferable from
November, 2018.
NUMO released “NUMO safety case report – Development of Pre-siting SDM-based
Safety Case – (Draft for external review)” (“Safety Case Report”) in Japanese in
November 2018. This report systematically organizes scientific knowledge andtechnology accumulated on how to survey the suitability of the site, conduct the design,
construction, operation and closure of the safe facility and ensure the post-closure longterm safety. More detailed information has been continuously provided for the public
to understand literature survey at plural municipalities.
Regulatory requirements for geological disposal facilities will be put in place by the
NRA. In the “Basic Policy on the Final Disposal of Designated Radioactive Wastes”, inorder for the process of the selection to progress in a reasonable manner, it isappropriate for the NRA, sequentially responding to the progress, to provide essential
points to be considered to ensure nuclear safety in the selection of preliminary anddetailed investigation areas, under the fundamental premise that any prejudgment
won’t be made for any safety regulatory review in the future. In site selection, the above
mentioned essential points, i.e. viewpoints from safety regulation, are necessary to beconsidered.

173

K-3 Overarching Issues Identified in the Final Report of the 6th
Review MeetingK-3-1 Implementation of National Strategies for Spent Fuel and Radioactive
Waste Management
On July, 2018, the Cabinet approved the new Strategic Energy Plan as the basis for theorientation of Japan's new energy policy towards 2030 and further towards 2050,
considering the changes in energy environments inside and outside Japan. This plan
includes the policy related to spent fuel and a radioactive waste management.
Specifically, as described in the section B, while studying a wide range of locations as
possible sites, regardless of whether they are inside or outside the premises of a power
plant, the government of Japan will strengthen its effort for facilitating construction
and utilization of new intermediate storage facilities and dry storage facilities toexpand the storage capacity of spent fuels. Based on that, Japanese utilities made theirplan which aim to expand approximately 6000tU capacity by around 2030. In order toachieve this objective, they are working to apply the regulatory review of NRA.
Issues related to the nuclear fuel cycle cannot be solved in a short period but require a
mid- to long-term approach. Moreover, it is important to adopt a flexible approach,since it is necessary to respond to various uncertainties, including the technologicaltrend, energy supply-demand balance and the international situation. Since these
activities are closely related in particular to the outlook of the future operating situationof nuclear power plants, the amount of nuclear fuel required and the quantity of spent
fuels generated, they will be conducted while taking into consideration all of thesefactors, as well as other factors including the reduction of the volume and harmfulnessof high-level radioactive waste, effective utilization of resources and its costs, and theintentions of relevant municipalities,
Radioactive waste is disposed of based on appropriate classification of the radioactivity
level, properties, type of radioactive material and other factors as described in Sections
B3-1 and B3-2.
“Basic Policy on the Final Disposal of Designated Radioactive Wastes” indicates while
we basically decided to ensure the policy regarding final disposal and the reversibilityof the final disposal project to respond flexibly and appropriately to the possibility of
future changes in technology and other factors, future generations may select an174

optimal disposal method at any time in the future when it is put into practical use.

K-3-2 Safety Implications of Long Term Management of Spent Fuel
In “Basic Policy on the Final Disposal of Designated Radioactive Wastes”, thegovernment of Japan and related research institutes, to ensure a wide range of thedisposal option, are to promote surveys and research on direct disposal of spent fueland other disposal methods. In addition, they will proceed with surveys and researchon the impact of maintaining the retrievability without closing the geological disposal
facility (GDF), and specify the management of designated radioactive waste until the
closure of the GDF.
While making efforts on geological disposal, it is stated that the storage capacity ofspent fuel will be expanded, to safely manage spent fuel produced by nuclear power
generation. Specifically, while studying a wide range of locations as possible sites,
regardless of whether they are inside or outside the premises of a power plant, thegovernment of Japan will strengthen its effort for facilitating construction andutilization of new interim storage facilities or dry storage facilities. As for Japaneseutilities, they collect information about other nations’ cases and check the condition of
spent fuel being stored in nuclear facilities to accumulate knowledge of long-termstoring in metallic casks.
NUMO will construct the GDF with sufficient scale and annual disposal capacity by anappropriate time to facilitate final disposal of designated radioactive wastes (high level
radioactive wastes generated from spent fuel reprocessing) whose storage period will
have ended, and will safely and reliably dispose of the waste at the GDF.
K-3-3 Long Term Management and Disposal of Disused Sealed Radioactive
Sources
As reported in J2-5.

K-4 Overview on the IRRS Follow-Up Mission
The IAEA conducts the IRRS which provides holistic review on the wide range of areas
including legal framework and organizational structure with regard to nuclear

175regulation, as one of the review services IAEA provides upon request from Member
States. The NRA hosted an IRRS mission in January 2016, and since then it has been
continually addressing the recommendations and suggestions made by the mission. The
NRA requested the IAEA to conduct further review on the status of those
implementations, and thus it hosted an IRRS follow-up mission in January 2020.
As a result of the follow-up mission, the IRRS team recognized that significant
progresses have been made such as completing the implementation of 10
recommendations and 12 suggestions out of 13 recommendations and 13 suggestions
made by the 2016 IRRS mission through introducing a new inspection system, etc.
Remaining 2 recommendations and 1 suggestion are related to the implementation of
integrated management system, and the other 1 recommendation is related tocoordination with other regulatory agencies. For these issues, further effort will be madeby the NRA. In the review on the regulation of land transport of radioactive materials,
which was added into the scope for the follow-up mission, the IRRS team recognizedthat Japan implements regulations generally in accordance with IAEA safety standards,
and 4 recommendations and 1 suggestion were specifically made for improvement (seethe IRRS follow-up report to Japan, page 69).
The IRRS follow-up mission report is made public in the following Web site of the NRA.
https://www.nsr.go.jp/english/cooperation/organizations/IAEA_20200318_02.html

176

Section L ANNEXES
L1

Inventory of Spent Fuel

L2

Inventory of Radioactive Waste

L3

List of Spent Fuel Management Facilities and Radioactive Waste Management
Facilities

L4

Main Nuclear Reactors under Decommissioning

177

L-1

Inventory of Spent Fuel *Inventory(tons)

Facility
JAPCO
Hokkaido
Electric Power
Co., Inc.
Tohoku ElectricPower Co., Inc.
TEPCO
Chubu ElectricPower Co., Inc.
Hokuriku
Electric Power
Co., Inc.
The Kansai
Electric Power
Co., Inc.
The Chugoku
Electric Power
Co., Inc.
Shikoku ElectricPower Co., Inc.
Kyushu ElectricPower Co., Inc.

JAEA

JNFL

Tokai No. 2 Power Station

370

Tsuruga Power Station

630

Tomari Power Station

400

Higashidori NPS

100

Onagawa NPS

480

Fukushima Daiichi NPS

2,130

Fukushima Daini NPS

1,650

Kashiwazaki-Kariwa NPS

2,370

Hamaoka NPS

1,130

Shika NPS

150

Mihama Power Station

470

Ohi Power Station

1,710

Takahama Power Station

1,290

Shimane NPS

460

Ikata Power Station

720

Genkai NPS

1,010

Sendai NPS

1,000

Reactor Decommissioning R&D Center70

FBR Research and Development Center

9

Reprocessing Facility of the Nuclear
Fuel Cycle Engineering Laboratories,
Tokai Research and Development
CenterNuclear Science Research Institute
Oarai Research and Development
Institute
Rokkasho Reprocessing Facility

Total
*

41

18
16
2,968
19,183

Data is provided by licensees.

178

Type of spentassemblies

fuel

Uranium oxide fuelUranium oxide fuel,
MOX fuel

Uranium oxide fuelUranium oxide fuel
MOX fuel
Uranium oxide fuelUranium oxide fuel,
MOX fuel
MOX fuel
Uranium oxide fuelUranium oxide fuel,
MOX fuel
Uranium oxide fuelUranium oxide fuel,
MOX fuel
Uranium oxide fuel

L-2

Inventory of Radioactive Waste

L2-1

High-Level Radioactive Waste＊1

Facility

JAEA

Reprocessing facility
Reprocessing facility
Waste storage facility

JNFL

High-levelliquidradioactive
waste

Vitrified waste(number ofcontainers＊2)

Total

316
346
1,830

365m3＊3
211m3＊3－

2,492

576 m3＊1
Data is provided by licensees.
＊2
Unit: JAEA: 120-liter container, JNFL (reprocessing facility): 160-liter container; JNFL (waste storage facility):
170-liter container.
＊3
Amount of high-level liquid waste stored before vitrification.

L2-2

Power Station Waste

1．

Homogeneous Solid, Packed Solid and Miscellaneous Solid＊1
Power station

JAPCO

Hokkaido ElectricPower Co., Inc.

Tohoku ElectricPower Co., Inc.

TEPCO

Homogeneous(drums)Tokai Power
StationTokai No. 2
Power Station
Tsuruga Power
StationTomari Power
StationOnagawa Nuclear
Power Station
Higashidori
Nuclear Power
StationFukushima
Daiichi NPS
Fukushima Daini
Nuclear Power
Station179

Packed(drums)Miscellaneous (drums)

Total(drums)

1,351

1,351

901

59,68660,826

2,628

3,204

64,26670,0981,164

0

11,462

12,6261,804

140

29,82031,7640

0

12,104

12,104

14,947

2,925

169,727

187,599＊2

702

1,717

19,376

21,795

0

0

239

662

1,107

27,751

29,520

3,377

4,314

28,81136,502

8

2,166

4,908

7,082

2,470

620

24,054

27,1445,162

037,67542,837

4,180
293

3,531
1,846

21,07533,57828,78635,717

1,422

1,708

22,38925,519

4,579

3,168

30,671

38,4182,108

025,19527,3032,000

017,565

19,565

21

0

7,404

7,425

47,76627,347648,868

723,981

KashiwazakiKariwa Nuclear
Power Station
Chubu ElectricPower Co., Inc.
Hokuriku ElectricPower Co., Inc.

The Kansai ElectricPower Co., Inc.

The Chugoku
Electric Power Co.,Inc.
Shikoku ElectricPower Co., Inc.
Kyushu ElectricPower Co., Inc.

JAEA

Hamaoka Nuclear
Power Station
Shika Nuclear
Power Station
Mihama Power
StationTakahama Power
StationOhi Power Station
Shimane Nuclear
Power Station
Ikata Power
StationGenkai Nuclear
Power Station
Sendai Nuclear
Power Station
Reactor
Decommissioning
R&D Center
Fast Breeder
Reactor Monju,
Research andDevelopment
CenterTotal*1
Data is provided by licensees. The storage unit is 200liter drums (including 200liter drums conversion for
miscellaneous solids).
*2
Rubble, trimmed trees, disused-protective clothing generated after accident, etc. [total 345,300m3], andsecondary waste from contaminated water treatment [3,586 cesium absorption apparatus and absorption vessel etc. and
Sludge 597m3] have been temporarily stored.

2．

Steam Generator (SG)＊
Number ofstored SGs

Power station
The Kansai ElectricPower Co., Inc.

Mihama Power Station
Takahama Power Station
Ohi Power Station

7
6
8

Shikoku Electric Power
Co., Inc.

Ikata Power Station

4

180

Kyushu Electric Power
Co., Inc.

Genkai Nuclear Power Station
Sendai Nuclear Power Station

4
6

Total

35

＊

Data is provided by licensees.

3．

Control Rods, Channel Boxes, Others＊1
Power station

JAPCO

Hokkaido
Electric Power
Co., Inc.
Tohoku ElectricPower Co., Inc.

TEPCO

Chubu ElectricPower Co., Inc.
Hokuriku
Electric Power
Co., Inc.

The Kansai
Electric Power
Co., Inc.

Tokai Power Station
Tokai No. 2 Power
StationTsuruga Power
Station (Unit 1)
Tsuruga Power
Station (Unit 2)
Tomari Power
StationOnagawa Nuclear
Power Station
Higashidori Nuclear
Power Station
Fukushima Daiichi
NPS
Fukushima Daini
Nuclear Power
StationKashiwazaki-Kariwa
Nuclear Power
StationHamaoka Nuclear
Power Station

Control rod(number)＊2

Ohi Power Station

Others (m3)Resin,
(m3)

91 m3

0

1,289

60

306

3,621

17

880

173

2,158

49

850

63

290

0

96

312

0

0

107

231

3,112

1

480

67

644

0

137

1,448

22,099

193

3,534

699

12,289

43

5,285

800

13,549

0

2,659

774

11,276

35

2.727

69

1,094

0

158

968

0

0

108

1,396

0

0

124

1,596

0

0

109

Shika Nuclear Power
StationMihama Power
StationTakahama Power
StationChannel box(number)

181

Control rod(number)＊2

Power station

Channel box(number)

Others (m3)Resin,(m3)

The Chugoku
Electric Power
Co., Inc.

Shimane Nuclear
Power Station

285

4,909

56

822

Shikoku ElectricPower Co., Inc.

Ikata Power Station

852

0

0

184

Kyushu ElectricPower Co., Inc.

Genkai Nuclear
Power Station
Sendai Nuclear
Power Station

912

0

0

192

486

0

0

176

11,437+(91 m3)

75,041(1,683m3)(18,688
m3）

Others(number＊3)

Resin, etc.
(m3)

756

220.08Subtotal

Control rod(number)

JAEA

Reactor
Decommissioning
R&D Center

Neutrondetector(number)

54

128

Guide tubes of control rod driver (number)

JAEA

Fast Breeder Reactor
Research andDevelopment Center(Monju)

15

＊1
＊2
＊3

Data is provided by licensees.
Figures of the Tokai Power Station are not included.
The unit of storage is a number of containers calculated by the volume of 2.2 ㎥ per each.

L2-3

Long Half-Life Low Heat Generating Radioactive Waste＊1
Facility

JAEA
JNFL
JNFL
Subtotal

Reprocessing
facility
Reprocessing
facility
waste storage
facilityDrum(number)

Bituminizedsolid (drums)

Plastic
solidified(drums)

Other
waste
(drums)Total(drums)31,812

29,967

1,812

13,121

76,712

17,748＊2－－

30,646

48,394

0

－

－

1,100

1,100

49,56029,967

1,812

44,867

126,206

182

Sheared cladding(drums)JAEA
JNFL

Reprocessing
facility
Reprocessing
facility

Reprocessing
facility

Total(drums)

5,098

315

1,391

6,804

221＊3

－

－

221

Low-level
concentrated liquid
waste (m3)
JAEA

Samplebottle(drums)Spent filter(drums)3,055

Sludge (m3)

Waste solvent (m3)

1,162

108

(Note) Unit: 200-liter drum, including values equivalent to 200 liters per drum.
＊1
Data is provided by licensees.
＊2
Includes waste resin and waste sludge, fuel channels and burnable poisons, spent filters, sample bottles, etc＊3Unit for a piece of sheared cladding: 1,000-liter drum

183

L2-4

Uranium Waste
Drum(number)

Global Nuclear Fuel-Japan
Co., Ltd.
Mitsubishi Nuclear Fuel Co.,
Ltd.
Tokai
Nuclear Fuel
Works
Industries,
KumatoriLtd.
Works
Prototype
Uranium
JAEA
Enrichment
Plant
Enrichment
andJNFL
Disposal
Office
Total

Other waste(drums)Total(drums)Low-level liquid
waste (m3)

16,741

2,576

19,3170.15

12,787615

13,402

1.78

5,875

430

6,305

5.2

8,629

71

8,700

13.6

586

56

642

0.141-

10,026

2,376

12,4022.17

54,644

6,124

60,76823.041(Note) Unit: 200-liter drum, including values equivalent to 200 liters per drum.

L2-5

Waste Stored in Research Facilities

Waste stored by licensees of research reactor operations and those of nuclear reactor facilities used
for research, excluding power reactors used for power generation, and those stored by users of
nuclear fuel materials related to usage facilities of such materials pursuant to Article 41 of theOrdinance for Enforcement of the Reactor Regulation Act
Solid waste
LiquidName of facility
Remarks(drum＊)
waste (m3)
Sum of values for reactor

Nuclear Science ResearchInstitute130,223

facilities and those for－facilities using nuclear fuelmaterials

JAEA

Nuclear Fuel Cycle
Engineering Laboratories

65,516

28.4

Facility using nuclear fuelmaterials
Sum of values for reactor

Oarai Research andDevelopment Institute(North Area)

1,652

－

facilities and those forfacilities using nuclear fuelmaterials

31,052

184－

Waste storage facility

For solid wastes, values referto those for reactor facilities,

Oarai Research andDevelopment
Institute(South Area)sum of nuclear fuel use

191

0.03

facilities. For liquid wastes, values
refer to facilities using
nuclear fuel materials

Ningyo-toge
Environmental
Engineering Center
Mutsu Office, Aomori
Research andDevelopment Center,
JAEA

15,361

11.3

1,094

22.81

Facility using nuclear fuelmaterials

Nuclear facility

For solid wastes, values referto the sum of those for reactor

Nuclear Professional School, School ofEngineering, the University of Tokyo

facilities and those for

28.9

3.0

facilities using nuclear for
temporary storage. For liquid
wastes, values refer to thosefor reactor facilities

Kyoto University Institute forIntegrated Radiation and Nuclear
Science
NuclearMaterial
Control
CenterTokai Safeguards Center

Rokkasho Safeguards
Analytical Laboratory
Institute for Atomic Energy, Rikkyo
University
Atomic Energy Research Institute,Tokyo City University (former
Musashi Institute of Technology)

The values refer to the sum of

169

0.00

reactor facilities and forfacilities using nuclear fuelmaterials

550

－

0

－

166.7

Facility using nuclear fuelmaterials
Facility usingmaterials

0

Nuclear facility

119－

Nuclear facility

Atomic Energy Research Institute,
Kinki University

3.11

－

Nuclear facility

Nippon Nuclear Fuel Development
Co., Ltd.

448

Nuclear Development Corporation

2,539

185

15.8

－

nuclear fuelFacility using nuclear fuelmaterials

Facility usingmaterials

nuclear fuel

Toshiba
EnergySystems&
Solutions
Corporation

Research Reactor Center

76.1

－

Nuclear facility
For solid wastes, the values
refer to the sum of reactor
facilities and facilities using

Nuclear Engineering Lab.

1,605

0.74

nuclear fuel materials. For
liquid wastes, the values referto facilities using nuclear fuelmaterials

Hitach Cooperation Ozenji Center
Total

589
25,138.725－

Reactor facility

82.08(Note) The data in this table includes those of long half-life low heat generating radioactive waste and uranium waste
generated in the facilities.
＊
Unit: 200-liter drum, including values equivalent to 200 liters per drum.

Wastes stored by a licensee of waste management pursuant to Article 4.2.1
of RI Regulation Act
Amount ofName of facility
waste
Remarks(drum＊)
Kanto Waste Relay
9,886
Station II
Japan Radioisotope
Ichihara Office
57,141
Association
Kansai Waste Relay
0
Station
Vesta Co., Ltd.
55,001
Nuclear Science
Research Institute
JAEA
Oarai Research andDevelopment
Institute
T. N. Technos Co., Ltd. Tsukuba Research InstituteTotal

103,886

36,106337
262,357＊：Unit: 200-liter

L2-6

Amount of Disposed Radioactive Waste
Major nuclides to be confirmed

Amount(drums)Unit 1

Co-60、Ni-63、Cs-137、Sr-90、C-14

149,107＊2

Unit 2

Co-60、Ni-63、Cs-137、Sr-90、C-14

163,600＊2

Total

－

312,707＊2

Name of facility
Waste Disposal Facilities,
Enrichment and Disposal
Office, JNFL

186

Nuclear Science ResearchInstitute JAEA＊1

Waste
disposalfacilities

Co-60, Ni-63, Cs-137, Sr-90, Ca-41, C14, Eu-152, H-3

1,670 tons

＊1
Disposing very low-level concrete waste generated by dismantling the JPDR, the decommissioning of which
has been transferred to the phase of preserving the disposal site since October 1997.
＊2
Unit: 200-liter drum.

187

L-3

List of Spent Fuel Management Facilities and Radioactive Waste
Management Facilities

L3-1

List of Spent Fuel Management Facilities（1） Facilities Related to Power Reactors
Facilities in which spent fuelmanagement facilities are locatedLocation

Tokai No. 2 Power Station, JAPCO

IbarakiTsuruga Power Station, JAPCO

Fukui

Tomari Power Station, Hokkaido
Electric Power Co., Inc.
Onagawa NPS, Tohoku Electric Power
Co., Inc.
Higashidori NPS, Tohoku ElectricPower Co., Inc.

Hokkaido
Miyagi
Aomori

Fukushima Daiichi NPS, TEPCO

Fukushima

Fukushima Daini NPS, TEPCO

Fukushima

Kashiwazaki-Kariwa NPS, TEPCO

Niigata

Hamaoka NPS, Chubu Electric Power
Co., Inc.
Shika NPS, Hokuriku Electric Power
Co., Inc.
Mihama Power Station, the Kansai
Electric Power Co., Inc.
Takahama Power Station, the Kansai
Electric Power Co., Inc.
Ohi Power Station, the Kansai ElectricPower Co., Inc.
Shimane NPS, the Chugoku ElectricPower Co., Inc.
Ikata Power Station, Shikoku ElectricPower Co., Inc.
Genkai NPS, Kyushu Electric Power
Co., Inc.
Sendai NPS, Kyushu Electric Power
Co., Inc.

Shizuoka
Ishikawa
Fukui
Fukui
Fukui
ShimaneEhime
Saga
Kagoshima

188

Major purpose

Major feature

Storing spent
fuel

Pool storage (partiallystored in dry cask
storage)

Storing spent
fuel
Storing spent
fuel
Storing spent
fuel
Storing spent
fuel
Storing spent
fuel
Storing spent
fuel
Storing spent
fuel
Storing spent
fuel
Storing spent
fuel
Storing spent
fuel
Storing spent
fuel
Storing spent
fuel
Storing spent
fuel
Storing spent
fuel
Storing spent
fuel
Storing spent
fuel

Pool storage
Pool storage
Pool storage
Pool storage
Pool storage (partiallystored in dry cask
storage)
Pool storage
Pool storage
Pool storage
Pool storage
Pool storage
Pool storage
Pool storage
Pool storage
Pool storage
Pool storage
Pool storage

Advanced Thermal Reactor Fugen,
JAEA
Reprocessing Facility of the Nuclear
Fuel Cycle Engineering Laboratories,
JAEA

Fukui

Storing spent
fuel

Pool storage

IbarakiStoring spent
fuel

Pool storage

Rokkasho Reprocessing Plant, JNFL

AomoriFast Breeder Reactor Monju nuclear
installation, JAEA

Fukui

Storing spent
fuel
Storing spent
fuel

Pool storage
Pool storage(2) List of Spent Fuel Management Facilities (Related to Research and Test Reactors)
Facilities in which spent fuel management
facilities are locatedLocation

Major purpose

Nuclear Science Research Institute JAEA

IbarakiStoring spent
fuel

Pool storage(partially stored indry cask storage)

Oarai Research and Development
Institute, JAEA

IbarakiStoring spent
fuel

Pool storage

Kyoto University Institute for integrated
Radiation and Nuclear Science

Osaka

Storing spent
fuel

Pool storage

L3-2

Major feature

List of Radioactive Waste Management Facilities（1） Facilities Related to Power Reactors
Facilities in which radioactive
waste management facilities arelocated

Tokai Power Station, JAPCO

Tokai No. 2 Power Station,
JAPCO

Tsuruga Power Station, JAPCO

Location

Major purpose

Major feature

IbarakiTreating and storing
waste from powerreactors

Storing waste after
reducing the volume
by compressing or
incineration

IbarakiTreating and storing
waste from powerreactors

Storing waste after
reducing the volume
by compressing or
incineration

Fukui

Treating and storing
waste from powerreactors

Storing waste after
reducing the volume
by compressing or
incineration

189

Facilities in which radioactive
waste management facilities arelocatedLocation

Major purpose

Hokkaido

Treating and storing
waste from powerreactors

AomoriTreating and storing
waste from powerreactors

MiyagiTreating and storing
waste from powerreactors

Fukushima Daiichi NPS, TEPCO

Fukushima

Treating and storing
waste from powerreactors

Fukushima Daiini Nuclear Power
Station, TEPCO

Fukushima

Treating and storing
waste from powerreactors

Kashiwazaki-Kariwa NPS,TEPCONiigataTreating and storing
waste from powerreactors

Shizuoka

Treating and storing
waste from powerreactors

Ishikawa

Treating and storing
waste from powerreactors

Fukui

Treating and storing
waste from powerreactors

Fukui

Treating and storing
waste from powerreactors

Tomari Power Station, Hokkaido
Electric Power Co., Inc.

Higashidori NPS, Tohoku ElectricPower Co., Inc.

Onagawa NPS, Tohoku ElectricPower Co., Inc.

Hamaoka NPS, Chubu ElectricPower Co., Inc.

Shika Nuclear Power Station,
Hokuriku Electric Power Co., Inc.

Mihama Power Station, theKansai Electric Power Co., Inc.

Takahama Power Station, theKansai Electric Power Co., Inc.

190

Major feature
Storing waste after
reducing the volume
by compressing or
incineration
Storing waste after
reducing the volume
by compressing or
incineration
Storing waste after
reducing the volume
by compressing or
incineration
Storing waste after
reducing the volume
by compressing or
incineration
Storing waste after
reducing the volume
by compressing or
incineration
Storing waste after
reducing the volume
by compressing or
incineration
Storing waste after
reducing the volume
by compressing or
incineration
Storing waste after
reducing the volume
by compressing or
incineration
Storing waste after
reducing the volume
by compressing or
incineration
Storing waste after
reducing the volume
by compressing or
incineration

Facilities in which radioactive
waste management facilities arelocatedLocation

Major purpose

Fukui

Treating and storing
waste from powerreactors

ShimaneTreating and storing
waste from powerreactors

Ehime

Treating and storing
waste from powerreactors

Genkai NPS, Kyushu ElectricPower Co., Inc.,

Saga

Treating and storing
waste from powerreactors

Sendai NPS, Kyushu ElectricPower Co., Inc.,

Kagoshima

Treating and storing
waste from powerreactors

Advanced Thermal Reactor Fugen

Fukui

Treating and storing
waste from powerreactors

Prototype fast-breeder reactor
Monju

Fukui

Treating and storing
waste from powerreactors

Ohi Power Station, the Kansai
Electric Power Co., Inc.

Shimane NPS, the Chugoku
Electric Power Co., Inc.

Ikata Power Station, Shikoku
Electric Power Co., Inc.

Major feature
Storing waste after
reducing the volume
by compressing or
incineration
Storing waste after
reducing the volume
by compressing or
incineration
Storing waste after
reducing the volume
by compressing or
incineration
Storing waste after
reducing the volume
by compressing or
incineration
Storing waste after
reducing the volume
by compressing or
incineration
Storing waste instorage after
reducing the volume
by compressing or
incineration
Storing waste after
reducing the volume
by compressing(2) List of Radioactive Waste Management Facilities (Excluding Those Related to Power
Reactors)
Facilities in which radioactive waste
management facilities are located＊1
Global Nuclear FuelJapan Co., Ltd.

Mitsubishi Nuclear
Fuel Co., Ltd.

Facility for
fabricating
nuclear fuelmaterials
Facility for
fabricating
nuclear fuelmaterials

Location

Major purpose

Kanagawa

Treating and storing
uranium waste

Storing waste after
reducing the volume bycompressing

Treating and storing
uranium waste

Storing waste after
reducing the volume bycompressing or
incineration

Ibaraki

191

Major featureNuclear Fuel
Industries, Ltd.
Tokai Works

Nuclear Fuel
Industries, Ltd.
Kumatori Works

Ningyo-toge
Environmental
Engineering Center,
JAEA

Nuclear Science
Research Institute
JAEA of National
Research andDevelopment
AgencyFacility for
fabricating
nuclear fuelmaterials

Treating and storing
uranium waste

Storing waste after
reducing the volume byincineration

Facility using
nuclear fuelmaterials

Treating and storing
waste from facilities
using nuclear fuelmaterials

Storing waste after
reducing the volume byincineration

Facility for
fabricating
nuclear fuelmaterials

Treating and storing
uranium waste

Storing waste after
reducing the volume bycompressing

Facility using
nuclear fuelmaterials

Storing waste fromfacilities using
nuclear fuel materials

Storing waste after
reducing the volume bycompressing

Facility for
fabricating
nuclear fuelmaterials

Treating and storing
uranium waste

Storing waste after
reducing the volume byincineration

Facility using
nuclear fuelmaterials

Treating and storing
waste from facilities
using nuclear fuelmaterials

Storing waste after
reducing the volume byincineration

Waste disposal
facility

Treating low-level
radioactive wastematerials

Trench disposal of concretewaste

Research and test
reactor facility(under operation:
5; underdecommissioning:3), facility using
nuclear fuelmaterials disposal
officeTreating and storing
waste from researchand test reactor
facilities using
nuclear fuel materials,
and facilities using
radioisotopes

Storing waste after
reducing the volume bycompressing or
incineration

IbarakiOsaka

Okayama

Ibaraki

192

Treating and storinghigh-level radioactive
waste and waste
containing transuranium

Storing high-level
radioactive waste andwaste containing transuranium after reducing
volume by solidifying
high-level radioactive
waste with glass orincinerating the waste
containing trans uranium

Facility using
nuclear fuelmaterials

Treating and storing
waste from facilities
using nuclear fuelmaterials

Storing waste after
reducing the volume bycompressing or
incineration

Oarai Research andDevelopment
Institute JAEA of
National Researchand Development
AgencyResearch andreactor facilities(under operation:
3; underdecommissioning:1), waste storage
facility, facility
using nuclear fuelmaterials, anddisposal office＊2

IbarakiTreating and storing
waste from researchand test reactor
facilities, facilities
using nuclear fuelmaterials, andfacilities using
radioisotopes

Storing waste after
reducing the volume bycompressing or
incineration

Mutsu Office,Aomori Researchand Development
Center, JAEA

Research and test
reactor facility(underdecommissioning:
1)

AomoriTreating and storing
waste from researchand test reactor
facilities

Storing waste after
reducing the volume bycompressing

Treating and storinghigh-level radioactive
waste and waste
containing transuranium

Storing waste from storage
facilities that accept spent
fuel materials (areprocessing facility is now
under construction)

Waste storage
facility

Storing vitrified waste

Facilities for storing
returned vitrified waste

Waste disposal
facility

Treating low-level
radioactive wastematerials

Waste disposal facilities
Units 1 and 2

Treating and storing
uranium waste

Storing waste

Nuclear Fuel Cycle
Engineering
Laboratories, Tokai
Research andDevelopment Center,
JAEA

Reprocessing
facility
Ibaraki

Reprocessing
facility
Reprocessing facility,
JNFL

Enrichment andDisposal Office,
JNFL

Aomori

Facility for
uraniumenrichment

Aomori193

Nuclear Professional
School, School ofEngineering, theUniversity of Tokyo

Institute forIntegrated Radiation
and Nuclear
Science, , Kyoto
University

Institute for Atomic
Energy, Rikkyo
University

Research and test
reactor facility,
facility using
nuclear fuelmaterials(underdecommissioning:
1)
Research and test
reactor facility(under operation:2), facility using
nuclear fuelmaterials
Research and test
reactor facility(underdecommissioning:
1)

IbarakiTemporarily storing
waste from theresearch and test
reactor facilities andfacilities using nuclear
fuel materials

Commissioned to the
Nuclear Science ResearchInstitute of the Tokai
Research and Development
Center, JAEA

Osaka

Treating and storing
waste from researchand test reactor
facilities and facilities
using nuclear fuelmaterials

Storing waste

Kanagawa

Treating and storing
waste from researchand test reactor
facilities

Storing waste

Atomic Energy
Research Institute,Tokyo City
University (former
Musashi Institute ofTechnology)

Research and test
reactor facility(underdecommissioning:
1)

Kanagawa

Storing waste fromresearch and test
reactor facilities

Storing waste

Atomic Energy
Research Institute,
Kinki University

Research and test
reactor facility

Osaka

Storing waste fromresearch and test
reactor facilities

Storing waste

Radiotoxicology
Experiment
Building, National
Institute ofRadiological Science

Facility using
nuclear fuelmaterials

Chiba

Storing waste fromfacilities using
nuclear fuel materials

Storing waste

Tsukuba Center No.
2 Office, AIST

Facility using
nuclear fuelmaterials

IbarakiStoring waste fromfacilities using
nuclear fuel materials

Storing waste

On Site Laboratory,
Rokkasho
Safeguards
Analytical
Laboratory, Nuclear
Material Control
CenterFacility using
nuclear fuelmaterials

AomoriTreating and storing
waste from facilities
using nuclear fuelmaterials

Storing waste

194Tokai Safeguards
Center, Nuclear
Material Control
CenterIchihara Office,Japan Radioisotope
Association, Public
Interest Incorporated
Association
Kanto Waste Relay
Station 2, Japan
Radioisotope
Association, Public
Interest Incorporated
Association
Kansai Waste Relay
Station, Japan
Radioisotope
Association, Public
Interest Incorporated
Association
Research Reactor
Center, Toshiba
Corporation

Nuclear EngineeringLab., Toshiba
Corporation

Ozenji Center,
Hitachi, Ltd.

NFD Hot
Laboratory, Nippon
Nuclear Fuel
Development Co.,
Ltd.
Fuel Hot Laboratory,
NuclearDevelopment
Corporation

Facility using
nuclear fuelmaterials

IbarakiStoring waste fromfacilities using
nuclear fuel materials

Storing waste in storage

＊3

Chiba

Storing waste fromfacilities using
radioisotopes

Storing waste

disposal office＊3

Chiba

Storing waste fromfacilities using
radioisotopes

Storing waste

disposal office＊3

Kyoto

Storing waste fromfacilities using
radioisotopes

Storing waste

Kanagawa

Storing waste fromthe research and test
reactor facilities

Storing waste

Kanagawa

Storing waste fromresearch and test
reactor facilities andfacilities using
nuclear fuel materials

Storing waste

Kanagawa

Storing waste fromthe research and test
reactor facilities

Storing waste

IbarakiTreating and storing
waste from facilities
using nuclear fuelmaterials

Commissioned to Oarai
Research and Development
Institute, JAEA

IbarakiTreating and storing
waste from facility
using nuclear fuelmaterials

Storing waste after
reducing the volume bycompressing

disposal office

Research and test
reactor facility(underdecommissioning:
1)
Facility using
nuclear fuelmaterials,
research and test
reactor facility
Research and test
reactor facility(underdecommissioning:
1)
Facility using
nuclear fuelmaterials

Facility using
nuclear fuelmaterials

195

Tsukuba Laboratory,
T.N. Technos Co.,Ltd.
Vesta Co., Ltd.

disposalbusinesses office＊Ibaraki2

disposalbusinesses office＊

Chiba

2

Treating and storing
waste from facilities
using radioisotopes
Treating and storing
waste from facilities
using radioisotopes

Storing waste after
reducing the volume byincineration
Storing waste after
reducing the volume byincineration＊1
1 licensee operates 1 facility unless otherwise noted. When 1 licensee operates more than 1 facility or
implements decommissioning measures for more than 1 facility, that situation will be clearly described.
＊2
Facilities managed by disposal service businesses refer to those approved pursuant to the RI Act.
＊3
Facilities managed by disposal service businesses refer to those approved pursuant to the RI Act and the
Medical Care Act.

196

L-4

Major Nuclear Reactors under Decommissioning

L4-1

Major NPSs under Decommissioning＊
Approval date ofdecommissioning
plan

Scheduledcompletion date ofdecommissioning

June, 2006

Fiscal year 2039

Apr, 2017

Fiscal year 2039

Reactor type : BWRPower output : 524MW

Mar, 2020

Fiscal year 2053

Reactor type： BWRPower output ：540MW [Units 1]
840MW [Units 2]

Nov, 2009

Fiscal year 2036

Reactor type：PWR
Power output ：Units 1：340MW
Units 2：500MW

Apr, 2017

Fiscal year 2045

Dec, 2019

Fiscal year 2048

Apr, 2017

Fiscal year 2045

June, 2017

Fiscal year 2056

Name of facilities

JAPCO

Tokai Power
StationJAPCO

Unit 1, Tsuruga
Power Station

Tohoku ElectricPower Co., Inc.

Chubu ElectricPower Co., Inc.

Unit 1Onagawa
Nuclear Power
StationUnits 1 and 2,
Hamaoka
Nuclear Power
Station,Type
Reactor type： GCR
Power output ：166MWReactor type：BWRPower output ：357MW

The Kansai
Electric Power
Co., Inc.

Units 1 and 2,
Mihama Power
StationThe Kansai
Electric Power
Co., Inc.

Units 1 and 2,
Ohi Power
Station

Chugoku ElectricPower Co., Inc.

Unit 1, Shimane
Nuclear Power
StationReactor type : PWR
Power output :Unit 1 : 1175 MW
Unit 2 : 1175 MW
Reactor type：BWRPower output ：460MWShikoku ElectricPower Co., Inc.

Unit 1, Ikata
Power Station

Reactor type：PWR
Power output：566 MW

Kyushu ElectricPower Co., Inc.

Units 1 and 2,
Genkai Nuclear
Power Station

Reactor type：PWR
Power output：
Unit 1 : 559MW
Unit 2 : 559MW

Unit 1 : Apr, 2017
Unit 2 : Mar. 2020

Unit 1: Fiscal year
2043
Unit 2: Fiscal year
2054

JAEA

Advanced
Thermal Reactor
Fugen

Reactor type： ATR
Power output：165MW

Feb, 2008

Fiscal year 2033

197

Name of facilities

Reactor facilityof Prototype Fast
Breeder Reactor
Monju

JAEA

Type
Nuclear reactor type :Sodium-cooled Fast
Breeder Neutron
ReactorPower output : 28MW＊

Data is provided by licensees.

L4-2

Major Research Reactors under Decommissioning
Name of facilities

JAEA

JRR-2

JAEA

First Nuclear
Ship Mutsu

JAEA

DCA

Approval date ofdecommissioning
plan

Scheduledcompletion date ofdecommissioning

Mar. 2018

Fiscal year 2047

Type
Reactor type：Heavy-watermoderated cooling tank reactor
Thermal output：10MW
Reactor type：Pressurized lightwater moderated and cooled
reactor; PWR
Thermal output：36MW
Reactor type：Heavy-watermoderated reactor
Thermal output：10MW

Approval date ofdecommissioning
plan
Nov, 2006

Oct, 2006

Oct, 2006

TRACY

Reactor type：Transient Experiment
Critical Facility
Thermal output：10kW（in static
operation）
5000MW（in transient operation）

June, 2017

JAEA

JRR-4

Reactor type：Light watermoderated and cooled, swimming
pool-type reactor with low-enricheduranium
Thermal output：3,500kW

June, 2017

Hitachi, Co., Ltd.

HTR

Reactor type：Light-watermoderated and cooled reactor
Thermal output：100kW

Apr, 2007

JAEA

198

Name of facilities

Type

Approval date ofdecommissioning
plan

Tokyo City
University
Institute ofTechnology)

Furnace ofMusashi
Institute ofTechnology

TRIGA-Ⅱ
Thermal output：100kW

June, 2007

RikkyoUniversity

Research andtest reactor of
RikkyoUniversity

TRIGA-Ⅱ
Thermal output：100kW

June, 2007

Toshiba Energy
Systems &Solutions
Corporation

TTR-1

Training Reactor
Thermal output：100kW

May, 2007

YAYOI

Reactor type：Air cooling fast
reactor using uranium as fuelThermal output：2kW

Aug, 2012

the University ofTokyo

199