JAIF President Masui Comments on Kashiwazaki Kariwa-6 Restart and Chubu Electric Data Issue

Japan Atomic Industrial Forum President MASUI Hideki held a regular press conference on January 23, outlining details of the upcoming 59th JAIF Annual Conference scheduled for April and reporting on discussions at a Nuclear Energy Subcommittee meeting he attended in December. During the latter half of the briefing, Masui also addressed questions regarding the restart of Unit 6 at the Kashiwazaki Kariwa Nuclear Power Plant and an inappropriate handling of seismic data by Chubu Electric Power.

Masui announced that the 59th JAIF Annual Conference will be held over two days, April 14-15, under the theme "Human Resource Strategies Supporting the Maximum Utilization of Nuclear Power." He explained that the conference will be structured around three main pillars:

1. discussions on human resource challenges in the nuclear sector from an international perspective, with invited overseas guests;
2. domestic and international case studies on labor-saving measures and operational efficiency through the use of advanced technologies; and
3. expanded participation by students, providing an opportunity to hear their candid views and perceptions of the nuclear industry directly.

Turning to the revision of the GX Action Guidelines discussed at the Nuclear Energy Subcommittee in December, Masui said he presented three key points regarding the nuclear sector.

First, he emphasized the need to clearly position the future of nuclear power in two phases-mid-term and long-term-in order to provide industry with a stable, long-range outlook. Second, he called for effective institutional frameworks for the development and construction of next-generation innovative reactors, including systems that enable investment recovery and financing schemes leveraging the government's creditworthiness. Third, he proposed positioning human resource development and retention as a core issue within the GX Action Guidelines, suggesting it be organized as a "seventh pillar" in addition to the six existing priority areas.

During the Q&A session, reporters raised questions about the restart of Kashiwazaki Kariwa-6.

Masui explained that two alarm-related events had occurred: one during control rod withdrawal tests prior to startup, and another during control rod operations after reactor startup. He stated that the former was attributable to a configuration error at the start of operations, while the latter was likely close to a component failure. Although he noted that the alarms themselves did not directly affect safety, Masui stressed that they indicated conditions deviating from normal operations. He added that Tokyo Electric Powershould continue work with caution and that, should even a slight risk arise, prioritizing safety by suspending operations would be the appropriate response.

Regarding the inappropriate handling of seismic design data by Chubu Electric Power, Masui refrained from making a definitive assessment, noting that the cause is still under investigation. He identified three focal points for the inquiry:

1. the motivation that led to the improper data handling;
2. structural issues, including the scope of personnel involved and how decisions were made during the process of submitting data to regulatory review meetings; and
3. the workplace environment that may have contributed to the incident.

Masui concluded by stating that he expects Chubu Electric Power to conduct a thorough investigation and clarify the root causes.