AsianScientist (Jan. 23, 2012) – The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) may establish a permanent office in Fukushima, Japan, the site of the March 11, 2011 nuclear disaster involving the TEPCO Dai-Ichi nuclear plant.
This announcement was made at a news conference today in Tokyo by James Lyons, Director of the agency’s Nuclear Installation Safety Division.
Lyons and the IAEA International Complementary Safety Assessment Review Mission, consisting of IAEA experts and international specialists, are visiting Japan at the request of the Japanese government. The IAEA mission will also conduct a site visit to the Ohi Nuclear Power Plant in Fukui Prefecture.
Japan’s request for the mission follows the approval of the Nuclear Safety Action Plan in September 2011, of which Japan is a member state. The Action Plan calls for member nations to assess whether their nuclear power plants are able to withstand extreme natural hazards and to implement corrective actions as needed.
Japan’s nuclear regulator, the Nuclear and Industrial Safety Agency (NISA), has prepared an approach to assessing nuclear power plant safety and the IAEA mission will review that approach and provide findings and recommendations to NISA.
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Source: International Atomic Energy Agency; Photo: G. Verlini/IAEA.
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