5 November, 2012

Japanese Ministries Concerned about Securing Nuclear Personnel: Difficult without New Reactors Being Built Domestically

At a regular meeting of the Japan Atomic Energy Commission (JAEC) held on October 30, representatives of Japans Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry (METI) and the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology (MEXT) offered their thoughts on activities to ensure and develop nuclear-related human resources in the country. METIs Agency for Natural Resources & Energy (ANRE) emphasized the need for medium-range and long-term actions by the national government, as it would be difficult for the private sector alone to maintain employment of those responsible for nuclear safety at sites. In the area of R&D, ANRE expressed its concerns that securing enough good young personnel would be difficult without projects involving challenging and attractive issues. Given the low likelihood of new reactors being built in Japan, the Agency said that it would be hard to maintain human resources and technology without living job models, including the acquisition of design know-how based on construction and maintenance (that is, actual design and construction, domestically or internationally). The Agency also predicted that even with construction overseas, it would be difficult to maintain human resources and technology in Japan related to operation and maintenancein other words, retaining veteran domestic engineers and accumulated know-how in operations and maintenance. Additionally, the areas in which knowledge and expertise are required for decommissioning are mainly in the areas of building and civil engineering, while those required for nuclear safety involve radiation protection, management and the like. Decommissioning alone, ANRE noted, would be unlikely to ensure human resources needed for nuclear safety in general. Meanwhile, the Atomic Energy Division of MEXT proposed activities regarding future human resource development. It expressed its expectations for the promotion and expansion of a network connecting corporations in the nuclear industry with government and universities. It pointed out the importance of three items: (1) boosting activities to foster the human resources involved in ongoing responses to the Fukushima nuclear accident, (2) reinforcing similar activities related to nuclear safety, and (3) expanding the numbers of students in fields potentially leading to nuclear research and education.

Editor: Sachiko Onose, JAIF

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