IAEA team mission helps bolster Japan’s nuclear security

An International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) team of experts recently concluded a two-week International Physical Protection Advisory Service (IPPAS) mission in Japan that will help the country further enhance its nuclear security procedures and practices.

“A third IPPAS mission within nine years indicates Japan’s willingness to enhance national nuclear security, as well as the country’s commitment to global nuclear security,” said Elena Buglova, director of the IAEA Division of Nuclear Security. “This commitment is also reflected in the country’s support for the IAEA’s nuclear security program.”

IPPAS missions are intended to assist countries in strengthening their national nuclear security regime, and they provide advice on implementing international instruments, along with IAEA guidance on the protection of nuclear and other radioactive material and associated facilities, according to the IAEA.

During missions, a team of international experts observes a nation’s system of physical protection, compares it with international good practices, and makes recommendations for improvement. IPPAS missions are conducted both on a nationwide and facility-specific basis, the agency said.

This latest mission — conducted at the request of the Government of Japan and hosted by the Nuclear Regulation Authority of Japan (NRA) — consisted of a 10-person mission team that reviewed Japan’s nuclear security regime for nuclear material and nuclear facilities, security of radioactive material, associated facilities, and activities, as well as computer security.

As part of the review, the IPPAS team from July 22 through Aug. 2 visited the Mihama Nuclear Power Station in Fukui Prefecture, operated by the Kansai Electric Power Co. (KEPCO).

The IPPAS team, led by Joseph Sandoval of U.S.-based Sandia National Laboratories, included experts from Canada, Belgium, Hungary, Finland, Spain, the Netherlands, the Czech Republic, and the United States, as well as one IAEA staff member.

The team held discussions with officials from the NRA, the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism (MLIT), the National Police Agency, the Japan Coast Guard, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Japan, KEPCO, and the Tokyo Electric Power Co.

At the end of the mission, the team commended Japan for its robust nuclear security regime and provided recommendations and suggestions to help Japan further enhance its nuclear security procedures and practices, and identified several good practices that could help other IAEA member states develop long-term improvements in global nuclear security, said the agency.

“The recommendations and suggestions provided through the IPPAS mission need to be fully taken into account, scrutinized, and acted upon,” said NRA Chairman Shinsuke Yamanaka. “We believe that the results of the IPPAS mission review will be very useful in enhancing and strengthening Japan’s nuclear security regime.”

Based on the IPPAS mission’s review results, he said that Japan will continue to improve its nuclear security measures “in cooperation with the relevant ministries and agencies.”

This was the third IPPAS mission to Japan, following previous missions in 2015 and 2018. During the 2018 mission, the team visited the Kashiwazaki-Kariwa nuclear power station in Niigata Prefecture, and the actions taken there since that mission related to physical protection measures were part of the latest mission agenda, according to IAEA.

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