Three foreign nuclear luminaries shared their expertise for the first time with the commissioners of Japan's new atomic watchdog Friday, stressing the importance of ensuring its independence while underscoring openness and transparency to bolster the regulatory framework.
The Nuclear Regulation Authority, which was launched in September, has appointed three international advisers to tap their perspectives: Richard Meserve, former chairman of the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission; Andre-Claude Lacoste, who headed the French Nuclear Safety Authority; and Mike Weightman, executive head of Britain's Office of Nuclear Regulation.
"I recognize the very great challenge that confronts you. You're an organization that needs to create itself" from scratch, Meserve told the NRA commissioners in Tokyo, referring to last year's triple meltdowns in Fukushima that shattered the public's trust in the nuclear regulatory regime.