Nuclear Regulation Authority Chairman Toyoshi Fuketa, who is retiring in September, said at his final press conference on the 21st of his term, "I have maintained my stance of not allowing the 'safety myth' to revive, but if it loosens up, it will revive again." He urged them to continue to be vigilant and work on regulations in the future.
Chairman Fuketa was appointed as a member of the Nuclear Regulation Authority 10 years ago when it was inaugurated, and since 5 years ago he has been leading the review of nuclear power plants based on new regulatory standards.
Before retiring in September, he attended the final press conference during his term on the 21st, looking back on the past 10 years, saying, "I will not allow the revival of the 'captivity of regulations' and the 'safety myth' that I have been conscious of since the beginning. Although we have maintained our stance, we do not believe that we have created a foundation that will not change in the future, and we will revive again if we loosen up," he said, calling for continued efforts to tighten regulations.
Regarding the government's consideration of maximizing the use of existing nuclear power plants and the development and construction of next-generation nuclear reactors, he said, ``There is no discussion of lowering the required level of regulations, and in the unlikely event that it is decided to do so, If that happens, I think that the use will not move forward, but rather will come to a standstill. All we can do is comply with strict regulations and do what we should do."
On the other hand, while urging electric power companies to expedite the examination, he pointed out that there were no objections to the standards themselves. I think it was because I thought there would be difficulties.Frank discussions are still not possible, and there are challenges ahead."