24 May 2011 UPDATE: International Fact-finding Mission Leader Launches Mission in Tokyo
The leader of the International Fact-Finding Mission, Mr. Mike Weightman, Britain's top nuclear safety inspector, arrived in Tokyo on 24 May 2011 to begin his study of the nuclear situation in Japan. Following its agreement with the Government of Japan, the IAEA organized and dispatched the mission, consisting of a team of nuclear experts from 12 countries who will prepare a report for the Ministerial Conference on Nuclear Safety at IAEA headquarters in Vienna on 20 to 24 June.
"For me, to maximize nuclear safety you must work on learning lessons and continuously improving throughout time. Therefore we'll use our opportunity here to come to Japan, gather information to see how the world can learn lessons from these unique events," Weightman said today following a meeting with Japanese Minister Banri Kaieda, head of the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry.
The International Fact-Finding team is scheduled to continue its meetings on 25 May 2011 with senior Japanese officials. Later in the week, the team will also conduct site visits to nuclear power plants at Tokai, Fukushima Daini and Fukushima Daiichi.
Mission team members are international experts in a number of disciplines including: safety assessment and defence-in-depth; the effects of earthquake, tsunami, explosions and after-shocks on structures, systems and controls; severe accident analysis and management procedures; external events assessment; emergency preparedness and response; spent fuel management under severe degradation; and radiological consequences.
IAEA Experts in Japan Prepare International Fact-Finding Mission (23 May 2011)
Experts from the Vienna headquarters of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) arrived in Tokyo on 23 May 2011 where they are preparing the International Fact-finding Mission that will include fact-finding activities at Tokyo Electric Power Company's Fukushima Dai-ichi Nuclear Power Station and other locations.
The IAEA organized and dispatched the mission following its agreement with the Government of Japan. Nearly 20 international and IAEA experts from a dozen countries will participate in the mission that conduct its activities from 24 May to 2 June 2011. The mission is led by Mr. Mike Weightman, HM Chief Inspector of Nuclear Installations of the United Kingdom.
The expert mission will make a preliminary assessment of the safety issues linked with TEPCO's Fukushima Dai-ichi Nuclear Power Station accident following the Great East Japan Earthquake and Tsunami. During the mission, areas that need further exploration or assessment based on the IAEA safety standards will also be identified.
In the course of the IAEA mission, the international experts will become acquainted with the Japanese lessons learned from the accident and will share their experience and expertise in their fields of competence with the Japanese authorities.
Mr. Weightman will present the mission's report at the Ministerial Conference on Nuclear Safety organised by the IAEA in Vienna from 20 to 24 June 2011, as an important input in the process of reviewing and strengthening the global nuclear safety framework that will be launched by the Conference.
IAEA Experts En Route to Japan to Prepare International Fact-Finding Mission (22 May 2011)
Experts from the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) departed Vienna on 22 May 2011 en route to Tokyo where they will prepare for the International Fact-finding Mission in Japan.
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-- By Peter Kaiser, IAEA Division of Public Information
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