1. Nuclear Power in Japan
Diego Hernandez
JPN 11

2. How Nuclear Power Plants Work
Designed to sustain an ongoing chain reaction of fission using solid uranium fuel
The reactor splits uranium atoms releasing neutrons and heat then the neutrons crash into other atoms causing them to split continuing the reaction
The heat is then used to vaporize water into steam
Then the steam is used spin a turbine which then powers a generator that produces electricity

3. Early Years
The program began in 1954 when Japan budgeted 230 million yen for nuclear energy
Japan’s first nuclear power plant was the Tokai Nuclear Power Plant built by the UK’s General Electrics Company in Tokai in the Naka District in the Ibaraki Prefecture
After the first plant three new plants were bought from U.S. vendors like General Electric and Westinghouse
The Japanese government promoted the siting of nuclear power plants by soft social control, financial incentives, Op-Eds written by pro-nuclear supporters

4. Resistance to Nuclear Power Plants
Japan’s nuclear industry was not affected by the Three Mile Island Accident or the Chernobyl Disaster
Construction of new power plants continued through the 1980’s, 1990’s up to the present day
However, in the mid-1990’s accidents and cover-ups in some of the power plants began to erode public perception of the industry
Protests and resistance to new plants began to happen
Tokaimura Nuclear Accident: Sept 30, deaths, criticality accident
Mihama Steam Explosion: Aug 9, deaths 6 injured, broken steam/water pipe

5. Collaborations With the U.S.
Japan and the United States signed the United States-Japan Joint Nuclear Energy Action Plan on April 18, 2007
The plan put in place framework for joint research and development of nuclear technology
Both would conduct research on fast reactor technology, fuel cycle technology, advanced computer simulation and modeling, small and medium reactors, safeguards and physical protection and nuclear waste management
As a result in September of 2008 Japanese agencies and ministries were seeking an increase in the 2009 budget by 6% and to focus on the research of the fast breeder reactor cycle, next-generation light water reactors, the ITER project, and seismic safety

6. Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Disaster
On March 11, 2011 the Tohoku earthquake caused the active reactors of the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant to automatically shut down their sustained fission
However the tsunami that came afterward caused the emergency generators that would have provided power to the pumps that cooled the reactors to fail
This caused reactors 1, 2, and 3 to melt down causing hydrogen-air explosions and sending radioactive material flying
This lasted from March 12 to March 15
The loss of cooling raised concerns over reactor 4 as well due to it being refueled shortly before the earthquake but it did not boil down to exposure

7. Fukushima Aftermath
The Fukushima Nuclear Accident Independent Investigation Commission found that the causes of the accident were foreseeable and blamed the Tokyo Electric power Company for not meeting the basic safety requirements
Though there have been no deaths due to the radiation the number of eventual cancer deaths according to the linear no-threshold theory of radiation safety is expected to be around people in the decades ahead
About 160,000 people were relocated after the explosion and an estimated 1,600 deaths are believed to have occured due to the stressful relocation conditions primarily in the elderly
No clear plans for decommissioning the plant have been made

8. Post-Fukushima Nuclear Policy
Japan’s new energy plan called nuclear power “the country’s most important power source”
In May 2014 the Fukui District Court blocked the restart of the Oi reactors
In April 2015 courts also blocked the restarting of two reactors at Takahama Nuclear Power Plant but permitted the restart of two reactors at Sendai Nuclear Power Plant
In November 2016 Japan signed a nuclear cooperation agreement with India however there is a Japanese domestic opposition to the agreement due to India not agreeing to the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons
In 2014, following the failure of the prototype Monju sodium-cooled fast reactor, Japan began to cooperate with the French on the ASTRID demonstration sodium-cooled fast breeder reactor

9. Nuclear Waste Disposal
Japan’s policy on nuclear waste disposal is to process its spent nuclear fuel. However originally its spent fuel was reprocessed under contract in England and France
In 2000 the Specified Radioactive Waste Final Disposal Act called for a new organization to manage high level radioactive waste
Later that year the Nuclear Waste Management Organization of Japan (NUMO) was established
NUMO is responsible for selecting a permanent deep geological repository site, construction, operation, and closure of the waste emplacement by 2040

10. Nuclear Power Today
Following the Fukushima disaster Japan’s confidence on nuclear energy diminished
Out of the 42 currently operable reactors in Japan only 7 of them are currently operating
Since then another 17 reactors are currently in the process of restart approval
In 2015 Japan produced a total of 1041 terawatt hours (TWh) of electricity. Out of that only 9 TWh was from nuclear power plants

11. My Opinion
Nuclear Power is a good way to get clean energy but it can also be very dangerous if the appropriate precautions are not taken. As I saw with the nuclear meltdown that happened in Fukushima the results of accident like that are disastrous. Using this way of getting power also comes with its downsides for example where to dispose of the radioactive waste. Researching this topic opened my eyes to the difficulty of maintaining something that is very beneficial but also very dangerous.

12. Works Cited