Antinuclear

Japan not doing safety checks on 40% of nuclear reactor parts exported

Japan nuclear export parts not safety checked: report http://www.abc.net.au/news/2013-10-14/japan-nuclear-export-parts-not-safety-checked/5022020, Japanese local media reports Japan neglected carrying out safety checks on at least 40 per cent of nuclear reactor parts exported over a decade, in the latest controversy to strike its troubled nuclear industry.

The Mainichi Shimbun newspaper reports nuclear reactor parts, including pressure vessels which contain the fuel in power plants worth about 51.1 billion yen ($520 million), were shipped to 17 countries, as well as Taiwan, without undergoing safety checks.

Safety checks, entailing simple examinations of documents, were only required for exports tied to loans from the state-run Japan Bank for International Cooperation or guarantees by the public agency Nippon Export and Investment Insurance.

The unchecked parts included reactor pressure vessels shipped to Taiwan in 2004 and control rod drives, which regulate the rate of nuclear fission, supplied to Sweden and Brazil.

The daily says the rest of the exports are thought to have undergone government safety checks before being shipped to China, the United States, France, Belgium and Finland, citing the country’s Agency for Natural Resources and Energy.

Safety has been a huge concern for Japan’s nuclear industry since a massive earthquake and tsunami ravaged the country’s northeast coast and triggered a meltdown at the Fukushima nuclear power plant in March 2011.

The country has continued overseas sales of nuclear reactor technology, with Prime Minister Shinzo Abe assuring buyers the industry is among the world’s safest.

October 15, 2013 - Posted by Christina Macpherson | Uncategorized