RESTARTING HAMAOKA | SAFETY & SECURITY
the average, and then cherry picked 19 others for the set, so that it would appear to be the average. Tetsuya Toyoda, head of the company’s nuclear power
department, said he believed there had likely been intent “to make the seismic motion appear smaller”. The Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry has requested Chubu Electric to report by 6 April in detail on what caused the inappropriate practices and to propose measures to prevent future recurrence. NRA Chairman Shinsuke Yamanaka told a news conference:
“This is an outrage against safety regulations. The review itself needs to be redone.” He added: “This is a case of fabricating safety-related review data. It is extremely serious and grave”. He also ordered the NRA to respond independently without waiting for the results of Chubu Electric’s internal investigation. “They manipulated diagrams to make their data appear plausible,” Koshun Yamaoka, NRA Commissioner in charge of reviewing earthquake and tsunami data, said. “Compared with research misconduct, this is equivalent to fabrication or falsification. This is a serious matter that fundamentally overturns the premise of the review.” NRA Commissioner Reiko Kanda said Chubu Electric had
wasted national funds. “We have invested human resources and conducted our review in good faith,” he said. NRA Commissioner Tomoyuki Sugiyama said the safety review should remain halted until the reliability of Chubu Electric’s data can be assured. “I was utterly disappointed. Although we are temporarily suspending the review, there is no way we can resume it,” he noted. Local leaders and officials from Omaezaki, the municipality
where the plant is located plant were highly critical of Chubu Electric. “The premise of the review under the new regulatory standards has collapsed. It is a deeply regrettable event that causes a loss of trust,” said Shizuoka Governor Yasutomo Suzuki. He cited a series of scandals at the utility, noting: “I will be closely watching its future initiatives, including corporate culture reform.” He said he will demand an explanation from Chubu Electric after receiving a report from a third-party committee investigating the false data and will petition the central government for guidance. Omaezaki Mayor Masaru Shimomura said it will be
difficult to restart the plant without the trust of the region. “If the reliability of the submitted data itself is shaken, then everything is shaken,” he said. At a press conference earlier at Chubu Electric’s
headquarters in Nagoya, Company President Kingo Hayashi revealed that quake data provided to the NRA was not calculated as it should have been and may have been handled inappropriately. The company will establish an independent panel to investigate the incident, he said. “There is a risk that this could have had a serious impact on the Nuclear Regulation Authority’s review,” Hayashi added, apologising for the potential mishandling. “It undermines trust in our operations and could strike at the very foundation of our business.” He added: “We are in no position to comment on the resumption of the screening or the timeline,” said Hayashi. “Our only option is to proceed while fundamentally restructuring our nuclear division.” In the wake of these events 65-year old Hayashi said that he will resign, making the announcement at a news conference. He reportedly said: “I’ve decided to resign in order to focus on investigating the facts and finding the cause,” also apologising again for the lapse.
Left: Chubu Electric’s Company President, Kingo Hayashi, revealed that quake data provided to the NRA was not calculated as it should have been and may have been handled inappropriately. He subsequently announced his resignation. Source: Chubu Electric Power
However, Yamanaka ordered the NRA to respond independently without waiting for the results of Chubu Electric’s internal investigation and the NRA has now decided that its secretariat will conduct an on-site inspection of Chubu Electric Power. The inspection is expected to target Chubu Electric’s headquarters in Nagoya but could also be extended to the NPP itself. NRA will also now consider demanding a legally mandated
report and conducting a nuclear regulatory inspection that includes on-site access to Chubu Electric’s headquarters and the Hamaoka plant. Such inspections are compulsory and carry penalties for refusal to cooperate. In the wake of the data sandal, NRA has cancelled the
screening of the plant for a possible restart. In addition, NRA will issue an order for Chubu Electric to report back on the details of the data fraud under the nuclear reactor regulation law, with the deadline set for the end of March. The company will face punishment if it refuses the order or makes false statements. The authority plans to urge other power companies to prepare appropriate documents for the NRA’s reactor screenings.. ■
Above: Japan’s Nuclear Regulation Authority has now decided that its secretariat will conduct an on-site inspection of Chubu Electric Power. Source: HAKKO
www.neimagazine.com | January 2026 | 35
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