The is an administrative body of the
Cabinet of Japan
The is the chief executive body of the government of Japan. It consists of the prime minister, who is appointed by the Emperor after being nominated by the National Diet, in addition to up to nineteen other members, called ministers of stat ...
established to ensure
nuclear safety
Nuclear safety is defined by the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) as "The achievement of proper operating conditions, prevention of accidents or mitigation of accident consequences, resulting in protection of workers, the public and the ...
in
Japan
Japan is an island country in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean off the northeast coast of the Asia, Asian mainland, it is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan and extends from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea ...
as part of the
Ministry of the Environment. Established on September 19, 2012, its first head was Shunichi Tanaka.
Background
The NRA was formed from the
Nuclear Safety Commission, which came under the authority of the
Cabinet, and the
Nuclear and Industrial Safety Agency (NISA), which was under the
Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry
The , METI for short, is a ministry of the Government of Japan. It was created by the 2001 Central Government Reform when the Ministry of International Trade and Industry (MITI) merged with agencies from other ministries related to economic acti ...
(METI). After the
Fukushima nuclear disaster
The Fukushima nuclear accident was a major nuclear accident at the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant in Ōkuma, Fukushima, Japan, which began on 11 March 2011. The cause of the accident was the 2011 Tōhoku earthquake and tsunami, which ...
following the
March 11, 2011, earthquake, the government's safety measures were seen to be inadequate. Also, NISA, being under the umbrella of METI, which was also responsible for promoting the use of nuclear power, was seen as having a conflict of interest. As a consequence, the new agency was established under the
Ministry of the Environment.
Early days
According to the law establishing the NRA, the task of working out new nuclear safety rules must be completed within ten months of its September 19, 2012, launch. Chairman Tanaka said that the Authority was determined to undertake a radical review of the existing safety standards and planned to finish the outline of the safety rules by the end of 2012.
Guidelines changed for iodine-tablets in case of a nuclear disaster
On 19 July 2013, the NRA updated its guidelines for the distribution and use of stabilized iodine tablets. Under the old rules designed in 2002 by the former regulator, the NSA, iodine tablets were recommended for those up to the age of 40. These former guidelines were based on studies done on the health of the atomic bomb survivors of Nagasaki and Hiroshima. Later studies however showed that although older people had less risk of developing cancer, the risk was not zero. Therefore, the age limit of 40 was abandoned. Because tablets were needed for approximately 4.8 million people who live within 30 kilometers of a nuclear reactor, implementation may take some time with only one pharmaceutical firm in Japan available for the production. Distribution would be started soon, and local governments were ordered to hold briefings for their residents. The NRA also warned that the use of iodine tablets could cause
hypothyroidism
Hypothyroidism is an endocrine disease in which the thyroid gland does not produce enough thyroid hormones. It can cause a number of symptoms, such as cold intolerance, poor ability to tolerate cold, fatigue, extreme fatigue, muscle aches, co ...
, a slow-functioning thyroid gland.
[The Mainichi Shimbun (20 July 2013]
Recommendation for iodine tablets in case of nuclear disaster expanded to all ages
/ref>
See also
* Ministry of the Environment (Japan)
The is a Cabinet-level ministry of the government of Japan responsible for global environmental conservation, pollution control, and nature conservation. The ministry was formed in 2001 from the sub-cabinet level Environmental Agency establi ...
References
External links
*
*
{{authority control
2012 establishments in Japan
Government ministries of Japan
Government agencies of Japan
Nuclear safety in Japan