Hirose Director General

Nuclear and Industrial Safety Agency, Tokyo, Japan

On behalf of the Nuclear and Industrial Safety Agency (NISA), I cordially welcome everyone to this international conference on the Safety of Radioactive Waste Disposal. The IAEA conferences in this series have become increasingly acknowledged as important international fora where representa-tives of regulatory bodies, disposal facility operators and experts come together from around the world to discuss safety issues related to radioactive waste management and disposal. Japan is grateful for the opportunity given to the Nuclear and Industrial Safety Agency to host this conference.

We express our gratitude to the IAEA, the organizer and sponsor of this International Conference and the OECD/NEA, the co-sponsor, as well as to all the members of the Programme Committee who have worked so hard to organize the conference. I would also like to note that the Japan Nuclear Energy Safety Organization (JNES) and other related agencies and entities in Japan have contributed to the staging of this conference.

As a result of the reorganization of governmental agencies in 2001, the Nuclear and Industrial Safety Agency was established as the administrative body responsible for the safety of nuclear facilities ranging from nuclear power plants to nuclear fuel cycle facilities and for industrial safety in the electricity generating industry, the gas industry and the mining industry.

I would like to describe the current status of radioactive waste disposal in Japan, including the problems we have to address, and to set out Japan’s basic position on international activities in this area. I would also like to touch upon our expectations for this conference.

A basic policy in Japan is for spent fuel to be reprocessed. Consequently, only vitrified residue canisters, a solidified form of residue resulting from reprocessing, are classified as high level radioactive waste; other types of waste are classified as low level radioactive waste.

The Specified Radioactive Waste Final Disposal Act of 2000, which regulates the disposal of high level radioactive waste, prescribes certain procedures, such as those for establishing an implementing organization, and those for site selection. It established the Nuclear Waste Management Organi-zation (NUMO) as its implementing organiOrgani-zation, and NUMO has begun open

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solicitation for candidate sites. The Specified Radioactive Waste Final Disposal Act calls for the enactment of a law for the disposal of high level radioactive waste that is separate from the law that is now in force for the safe disposal of low level radioactive waste. To that end, the Nuclear and Industrial Safety Agency (NISA), is now considering the legal framework for safety regulations through a committee chaired by K. Ishigure, who also is serving as the President of this conference. NISA is also engaged in research, the results of which are to serve as the basis for future safety reviews and new standards.

Low level radioactive waste generated from the operation of commercial nuclear power plants has been buried at a disposal facility in Rokkasho in the Aomori Prefecture since 1992. The disposal facility and its waste are subject to safety supervision by NISA and the Japan Nuclear Energy Safety Organization (JNES). A technical tour of this facility is scheduled as a side event of this conference. Japan has one commercial nuclear reactor undergoing decommis-sioning. However, seven of the currently operating commercial nuclear reactors are over 30 years old, and we will eventually face the major challenge of instituting safety regulations for decommissioning and for the waste that may result from dismantling. With regard to the large volumes of waste with a very low radionuclide concentration, including concrete and metal scrap, the Law Regulating Nuclear Source Material, Nuclear Fuel Material and Reactors (the Reactor Regulation Law) has been amended to introduce a clearance scheme whereby such waste can be disposed of, or recycled as normal non-radioactive waste, depending on the results of concentration measurement and evaluation by the operator and by the regulators. The electric utilities are also preparing disposal plans for waste containing relatively high concentrations of radionuclides, such as reactor core internals, channel boxes and burnable poisons.

A reprocessing plant will shortly come on-stream in Japan. There is also a plan being developed to construct a mixed-oxide fuel processing facility. For the waste containing long lived transuranic nuclides (TRU) generated from these facilities, suitable disposal methods have been proposed. There is thus an urgent need for the regulatory agency to develop safety standards appropriate to the proposed disposal methods.

In Japan, limits on radionuclide concentration for disposal and guidelines for safety review have normally been developed for particular waste generating facilities and waste types. However, in view of the future need to dispose of diverse types of radioactive waste, we think it is desirable to establish regulatory limits and standards as part of the process of constructing a common framework for disposal. A detailed study, for this purpose, has been initiated, primarily by the Nuclear Safety Commission (NSC). The agenda of this conference encompasses geological disposal, near surface disposal and

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intermediate depth disposal, and we anticipate that the discussions about to take place here on these subjects will provide useful information for our study.

Since its creation, the Nuclear and Industrial Safety Agency (NISA) has been represented on OECD/NEA committees, such as the Committee of Nuclear Regulatory Activities (CNRA) and the Radioactive Waste Management Committee (RWMC). It has also participated in the development of international nuclear safety standards through its involvement in the IAEA Commission on Safety Standards (CSS). The outcome of such involvement has been reflected in our national regulations. We will continue these efforts with the aims of attaining a high level of safety internationally and of achieving scientific rationality. In parallel with these efforts, NISA, as a regulatory body of a nation with a large nuclear programme, has also supported the safety enhancing efforts of other Asian countries.

In the field of radioactive waste management, the Joint Convention on the Safety of Spent Fuel Management and on the Safety of Radioactive Waste Management (the Joint Convention) is acknowledged as an important mechanism for promoting and encouraging the safety of radioactive waste disposal worldwide. Japan hopes to contribute to the success of the second review meeting scheduled to be held next year.

Aside from the Joint Convention, the Safety Standards now being system-atically developed by the IAEA are also considered to play a very important role. The following are examples of the latest international standards adopted into the Japanese regulatory system. With regard to radioactive materials, excluding nuclear fuel materials, the Law for the Prevention of Radiation Hazards due to Radioisotopes, etc. was amended in 2004 to incorporate the exemption levels of the International Basic Safety Standards. When we introduced the concept of clearance this year, the IAEA Safety Guide RS-G-1.7 was used as the basis for the clearance levels now used in Japan. We believe that making the Japanese standards consistent with the international standards will contribute to increasing public confidence in the safety of radioactive waste management in Japan.

For this reason, we have decided to take an active part in the early stages of the development of international standards. In so doing we have in mind our own national circumstances and take account of the fact that the resulting international safety standards are likely to be adopted as part of our national regulations. With the help of this process, Japan will develop the basic principles for safety assurance and the regulatory standards for the disposal of high level radioactive waste and other types of waste.

This is the first time that an IAEA sponsored conference on the subject of radioactive waste disposal safety has been held in Asia. As you may know, Asian countries are implementing many programmes in the field of nuclear

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power generation and also in the fields of medical, industrial and agricultural applications of radiation. In undertaking these programmes, all of the concerned countries agree that the safe management and disposal of radioactive waste is a critically important issue. It is also true, however, that not all of these countries have had a great deal of experience in radioactive waste management and disposal. One of the reasons why we are hosting this conference in our country is the hope that the information exchange among participants at the conference will encourage improved actions for safe radioactive waste management and disposal in Asian countries.

Japan is a major donor to the IAEA extra-budgetary programme known as the Asian Nuclear Safety Network Programme. This programme is intended to accumulate and share nuclear safety related knowledge and experience in Asia. Its goal is to enhance nuclear safety performance in the region by building an infrastructure for nuclear safety. Since 2004, the Asian Nuclear Safety Network (ANSN) has played a vital role in providing information and human resources. In the fields of education, training, operational safety and safety analysis, beneficial results have been achieved through cooperation, and the scope of such cooperation is expanding further to encompass other fields, such as safety management, including safety culture, a code of conduct and nuclear disaster countermeasures. Prompted by this conference, Japan would like to propose expanding the scope of this ANSN activity, so as to address the issue of radioactive waste management and disposal. We would appreciate having discussions on this proposal at the conference and receiving such useful suggestions as you may make.

In conclusion, I wish to express my best wishes for the success of this five day meeting and hope that all the participants from abroad will thoroughly enjoy their stay in Japan.

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K. Ishigure

Saitama Institute of Technology, Saitama, Japan

First of all, let me welcome all participants to this conference, especially those from distant countries. I would like to express my sincere thanks to the IAEA for planning and sponsoring this conference, as well as to the OECD/

NEA, for co-sponsoring the event. I would also like to welcome our distin-guished guests, IAEA Deputy Director General, Tomihiro Taniguchi and OECD/NEA Deputy Director, Takanori Tanaka. It is a great honour to have the opportunity to preside over such a prestigious and important international conference.

The ‘Odaiba region’, where this hall is located, has been redeveloped in recent years to become a new town, full of modern buildings. The name

‘Odaiba’ comes from the 1850s, the late Edo era, when Japan was still adhering to a policy of national isolation. The name came from the fort constructed to protect Edo, the present Tokyo, from the attack of foreign countries, then pressing Japan to abandon her isolationist policy and to open up the country to trade. The first American frigates approached Japan near to this site in 1853. It seems somehow appropriate to be holding this conference here, with many foreign guests attending, and to be dispatching important messages to the world from a site with such historical background.

We expect more than 300 participants from some 60 countries and 3 inter-national organizations to attend this conference, to discuss various global problems concerned with the safety of radioactive waste disposal. Among the foreign participants, there are more than 50 from Asian countries not including Japan, constituting the largest number of participants from any region.

In addition to the invited papers, which will be presented during the sessions of the conference, more than one hundred papers have been submitted from over 40 countries. Among them, about 50 are being exhibited as posters and I hope you visit them, though summaries of them will be reported by the rapporteurs in each session. Panels and information packages from relevant companies and organizations are also on display and I hope that you will find time to visit them.

Needless to say, the disposal of radioactive waste is an issue of vital importance being faced today by every country developing and utilizing nuclear power. A number of transborder initiatives are now under way aimed

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at executing the basic principles of the safe disposal of radioactive waste. The Joint Convention on the Safety of Spent Fuel Management and on the Safety of Radioactive Waste Management entered into force in 2001. This Convention has provided an international framework for attaining high levels of safety in the management and disposal of radioactive waste. At nearly the same time, the IAEA sponsored international conferences held in Cordoba, Spain, in 2000 and in Vienna, in 2002, to exchange information and to discuss the problems of the safe management and disposal of radioactive waste among specialists from various countries. This meeting is intended to provide a view of the future of radioactive waste disposal from an international perspective — from the starting point of the results of the past conferences.

The previous conferences were held in Europe and I would like to note the fact that an IAEA conference on this subject is being held in Asia for the first time. I think this is quite appropriate considering that 20% of the world’s nuclear power plants are being operated in this region, and more than half of the nuclear power plants under construction and in planning are concentrated here in Asia. The large number of participants from Asia is an indication of the great interest of these countries in this problem. Asian countries will face their own radioactive waste disposal problems in the very near future and the partic-ipants from Asia may see this conference as a good opportunity to share and make use of the experiences of the other countries.

Following the opening session of the conference, there will be keynote speeches and panel discussions on the themes covered by the three main sessions. Though the contents and conclusions of each session will, of course, be described and summarized by the respective chairpersons and participants themselves, I would like to convey my own personal interests and expectations in this regard.

The title given to Session II is ‘Disposal Safety — International and National Perspectives’. Here, I look forward to sharing our recognition of the importance of the international framework for the safe management of radioactive waste and of its major components, the Joint Convention and the International Safety Standards. I then foresee discussion on what is to be done at the international and regional levels, particularly in the Asian region, to maintain and develop this framework in the future. Through the exchange of information on the approaches to radioactive waste disposal in the various countries, we expect a deeper understanding and recognition of the need for a common safety rationale to be applied to the diverse methods of radioactive waste disposal and, also, of the contents and role of the safety case.

Session III is entitled ‘The Safety of Radioactive Waste Disposal Facil-ities’. It is composed of three subsessions divided according to types of disposal:

‘Geological Disposal Facilities’, ‘Near Surface Disposal Facilities’ and ‘Options

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for Intermediate Depth Disposal’. Here we will be provided with the latest information on disposal programmes in various countries and we expect a lively discussion on the various issues pertaining to the safety of the respective disposal methods and on the measures for resolving them. With regard to geological disposal facilities, some countries are planning to apply for permits to construct facilities within the coming two to three years while other countries are focusing their attention on the experiences of these countries. It will also be interesting to hear the discussions on the rationales and safety arguments for the disposal of various types of radioactive waste at intermediate depths, including the borehole method of disposal that is currently under investigation.

Session IV is concerned with ‘Regulatory Control and Communication of Safety Issues’. It will introduce valuable experience on the ways in which countries have dealt with the problems of re-evaluating and improving facilities built in the past. Communication with stakeholders on matters related to radioactive waste disposal is an issue faced by many countries, and the discussion on this may provide useful clues as to how regulatory authorities should respond to this matter.

With regard to the social aspects of the conference, receptions are planned this evening and on Wednesday evening, and I understand that a cultural event has also been arranged to be held during one of the receptions.

In addition, thanks to the cooperation of the relevant operators, post-conference technical tours to a nuclear power plant currently being dismantled and to a low level radioactive waste disposal facility are scheduled after the final session of the conference. These events will provide good opportunities for further information exchange among the participants and should help in fostering the building of an international network of personal relationships.

I am sorry to say that due to the large number of participants, far exceeding our expectations for this conference, some participants will incon-veniently have to take part via monitor screens in the sub-hall outside the main hall. As a new initiative, the public will be allowed to attend in the sub-hall and, in addition, the sessions in the main conference hall are being relayed live and on demand via the Internet, as a part of our plans for the active dissemination of information.

In conclusion, as President, I will do my utmost to make this conference serve as a forum for disseminating information on radioactive waste disposal safety to the international community, and would like to ask the subsession chairpersons, the keynote speakers, the panellists and all the participants to assist and join with me in this effort.

ISHIGURE

I would like to suggest that our foreign guests take this opportunity, as far as time permits, to touch upon Japanese culture and art, and to make this visit a truly memorable event.