In response to the government's policy to substantially extend the operating period of nuclear power plants, the Nuclear Regulation Authority has begun to consider specific standards for dealing with aging nuclear power plants.
Following the government's policy to substantially extend the operating life of nuclear power plants, which is currently limited to 60 years, the Nuclear Regulation Authority has voted in favor of a new system to deal with aging plants.
On the 22nd, a team meeting was held for the first time to examine technical evaluation criteria for confirming the safety of nuclear power plants, which have been in operation for over 60 years.
The committee members who attended said, "We still need to show that we are still doing what we should be doing, but I think we are not doing enough," and "Japan is a special country with a high risk of natural disasters." We should think about what we can do in terms of the environment.” There was a series of opinions that we should consider whether the current aging countermeasures should be sufficient beyond 60 years.
At the meeting, Akira Ishiwatari, a member of the committee who opposed permitting operation for more than 60 years, also attended the meeting and argued again, ``It would be better to have a rule that if the time comes, it can not be moved anymore.''
The review team will also consider an easy-to-understand explanation of the new system for the public, and will compile an overview in about a month.