Wednesday, Dec. 21, 2011

The new nuclear safety agency to be launched in April under the Environment Ministry will consist of about 500 staff members and is expected to secure some ¥50 billion in the fiscal 2012 budget, Environment Minister Goshi Hosono said Tuesday.

The figures are larger both in terms of the organization's scale and budget compared with the existing nuclear regulatory body, the Nuclear and Industrial Safety Agency, which has around 400 personnel and a budget of about ¥40 billion. NISA, a part of the trade ministry, will be integrated into the new agency.

Public confidence in NISA was shaken after the outbreak of the crisis at the Fukushima No. 1 nuclear power plant. Questions were raised about whether it is appropriate that METI, which promotes nuclear power, should also be responsible for oversight.

The new agency is expected to focus on enhancing crisis management functions, the environment ministry said. It will also be in charge of conducting health surveys for people affected by the Fukushima crisis, it said.

Cutting nuke dependence

A government panel tasked with compiling a basic framework for a new national energy policy said Tuesday it will continue its discussions with the view that reducing dependence on nuclear power is the "basic direction" to pursue.

In a report compiling key issues in the panel's discussions so far, the 25-member committee said there are various opinions on how to reduce Japan's dependence on nuclear power and that some members called for clarifying the conditions on which reactor operations can be resumed while satisfying public concerns.

The paper incorporated opinions calling both for early withdrawal from nuclear power generation and for maintaining it at a significant level from a strategic point of view. It also stated opinions both supporting and opposing nuclear fuel recycling, underscoring the gaps between panel members in their views on nuclear policy.

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