On the 19th, it will be 10 years since the Nuclear Regulation Authority was established as a highly independent regulatory body based on the lessons learned from the accident at Tokyo Electric Power Company's Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Station.
While electric power companies are calling for more efficient examinations, they are facing a shortage of human resources internally and need to create an organization to prevent a repeat of the nuclear accident.
In 2012, shortly after the accident at the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant, the Nuclear Regulation Authority separated its regulatory department from the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry, which promotes nuclear energy policy, and was established as a highly independent so-called "Article 3 Commission." I was.
Based on the lessons learned from the nuclear power plant accident, new regulatory standards were formulated to require stronger preparations for natural disasters, countermeasures against serious accidents, and the installation of anti-terrorism facilities. A review is ongoing.
In this situation, electric power companies are calling for more efficient examinations, and this month, the Regulatory Commission partially reviewed the procedure, such as increasing the frequency of meetings.
On the other hand, there is also concern about the shortage of human resources at the Nuclear Regulation Authority, who are responsible for review work.
In the five years up to this fiscal year, there is a shortage of about 50 to 100 people every year against the capacity of more than 1,000 people. increase.
For this reason, the hiring and training of new personnel has become an urgent issue, and it is necessary to create an organization that will prevent a repeat of the nuclear accident.