The Nuclear Regulation Authority said Wednesday it will propose to a government task force that management of radiation doses on an individual basis will be vital to working out steps to protect people seeking to return to their homes near the stricken Fukushima No. 1 nuclear plant.
The proposal is expected to bring about a change in the government's policy of using "estimated" personal doses, calculated from air dose levels measured by radiation monitoring posts and other sources, when setting evacuation zones and other protective steps.
But as radiation exposure measured by individual dosimeters tends to be lower than estimated doses, the latest move could effectively mean a relaxation of the rules, making it easier for the government to achieve its long-term goal of reducing exposure doses to 1 millisievert per year in contaminated areas.