This
past weekend I had the honor of leading a delegation of U.S. officials
to an international conference in Japan designed to keep up the global
momentum of enhancing nuclear safety after the Fukushima accident.
We
met in Koriyama City, some 30 miles west of the scenic Japanese coast,
where recovery work continues on the four Fukushima Dai-ichi reactors
that were damaged by tsunami-induced flooding and the explosive force of
pent-up hydrogen.
In
my remarks to our counterparts in the newly installed Japanese Nuclear
Regulation Authority (JNRA) and to the roughly 400 delegates at the
conference from across the globe, I stressed that national nuclear
regulatory bodies must be independent and buffered from political winds
and whims. And at each opportunity, our delegation said that a
regulator’s work should be carried out in an open and transparent manner
so all can see the reasoning behind decision-making, and that
regulators should be funded and staffed at a level to get this important
work accomplished.
One
of the more important sessions I held was with the newly appointed
chairman of the JNRA and three of his Commissioner colleagues. We
discussed the challenges ahead as the JNRA embarks on the demanding task
of creating an effective independent nuclear regulatory program for
Japan. This will be a major undertaking, not easily accomplished. If
asked, the NRC will enthusiastically assist JNRA. I am confident that
other nations and non-governmental organizations with nuclear experience
and expertise will also step forward if their help is requested.
On
our first day in Japan we visited the crippled reactors at Fukushima
Dai-ichi. We approached the scene through silent villages, devoid of
people, with weeds growing in abandoned parking lots, and
![japanmap]()
now-empty
crop fields. I saw the immense beauty of the countryside and the
Japanese coastline. This striking land is now empty and may be unusable
for a considerable period; 160,000 people are displaced because of the
radiation that escaped these reactors.
We
stood atop the No. 4 reactor at the Fukushima site, next to the
now-covered spent fuel pool. We witnessed the progress made by a full
contingent of cleanup workers in remediating the site, a testament to
the resilient spirit of the people of Fukushima and Japan. This said,
immense work is still ahead at the Fukushima site and the surrounding
areas – work that will take decades to complete.
On reflection, I can’t help but be reminded of the important role the NRC performs for the nation; the
work we have underway to further enhance reactor safety;
and the renewed importance of ensuring no accident like this happens in
the United States. I want to be sure that we continue to take the steps
necessary to be certain that communities surrounding nuclear reactors
are protected and that we've done all we can as regulators to prevent
and mitigate severe accidents that displace people and contaminate land.
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