Japan's nuclear crisis minister unveiled a plan today to form a more independent nuclear safety regulator by next April in an effort to restore faith in the country's ability to effectively police utility firms after the Fukushima crisis.
The watchdog will be separated from the trade ministry, which promotes nuclear energy, after criticism grew over its cosy ties with the industry, minister Goshi Hosono said.
The earthquake-triggered radiation crisis at the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant 240 km north of Tokyo spurred an overhaul of Japan's energy policy and Prime Minister Naoto Kan has called for the nation to cut its dependence on nuclear energy.
The crisis also prompted other countries to review their safety standards. The US nuclear watchdog is considering whether to take a tougher approach to safety that could force plants to plan for disasters far more violent than those they were originally designed to withstand.
"I have keenly felt that unless we fundamentally fix nuclear power regulation, including at the organisational level, we cannot win back public trust," Mr Hosono told a news conference. "A new organisation should be formed as soon as possible."
The new regulator will combine the watchdog Nuclear and Industrial Safety Agency and a government advisory body, bringing together about 500 to 600 officials from existing agencies. Its staff will be trained to so that the agency will have regulators of international standard, said Hosono, 39.
It will also consider imposing tougher regulations on nuclear power plants, Hosono said.
The agency will be headed by a cabinet minister and be part of the Environment Ministry or the Cabinet Office, so that the minister can immediately take charge if a disaster occurs, which was not the case with Fukushima.
Public mistrust on nuclear safety and policing mounted after the March 11th earthquake and tsunami triggered a radiation leaks at Tokyo Electric Power Co's Fukushima plant.
While the public backs Kan's stance to wean Japan off dependence on nuclear power, political disarray over energy policy is casting a shadow on the country's fragile economy.
Mr Kan has said he will resign but has not clarified the timing, and it is unclear how policy direction set by him will play out after his departure.
The government said on Friday that it plans to continue exporting nuclear power plant technology, an effort key to Japan's diplomacy prior to the Fukushima crisis.
Mr Hosono's plan to appoint a new regulator by April must first be approved by cabinet ministers, then relevant bills must be deliberated in a divided parliament, where the opposition controls the upper house.
Public concern about nuclear power deepened following a spate of scandals in which utility firms said official at the nuclear watchdog tried to sway opinion by planting questions at public meetings.
Such events have resulted in local governments refusing to allow the restart of reactors halted for regular maintenance. Only 16 nuclear reactors are working out of 54 that were available for power generation before the March quake, and all of them may be shut by May next year.
The government has said that in the meantime, halted nuclear reactors whose safety has been confirmed through stress tests should be restarted to avoid power shortage.
The tests would gauge how well nuclear reactors can withstand severe events such as quakes and tsunami, but the announcement sparked confusion over how and when the tests would be carried out. The new agency will be tasked with the tests, Mr Hosono said.
Reuters