Nuclear Regulator Tied to Industry
Japan's nuclear regulator has amassed power while growing closer to the industry it regulates, according to former regulators and industry critics who blame the trend for lapses that may have contributed to the Fukushima Daiichi accident.
Bucking the global standard, Japan's Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry has two distinct and often competing roles: regulating the nuclear power industry, and promoting Japanese nuclear technology at home and abroad.
The setup recalls U.S. regulation of offshore drilling before last year's oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico, in which the same agency regulated the industry and promoted offshore oil-and- gas development. One of the Obama administration's first post-spill actions was to break up the agency.
In the U.S., the Nuclear Regulatory Commission, which oversees nuclear plants, is independent from the Department of Energy, which researches and promotes nuclear power.
Critics say that if regulators in Japan had been more independent they might have imposed stricter regulations on plant safety that could have prevented the crisis or eased its severity.
The ministry ordered companies in 2006 to review the earthquake readiness of their nuclear plants, but it didn't set a deadline. Tokyo Electric Power Co.replicawatch119 by sevenwatch88. Anyone can see this photo All rights reserved., or Tepco, the operator of the Fukushima Daiichi plant, filed its interim review in 2009. Its only mention of tsunami was to say that it was continuing to study the subject.
"The regulators are so friendly with power companies that they don't hold them responsible for so many things," said Tetsuya Iida,Best replicauhrenwatches Have you spent a lot of time looking for the best replica watch for you? a former nuclear-industry engineer who heads a think tank.
A 2007 earthquake in a different part of Japan crippled another Tepco nuclear plant. Japan's main bar association, which investigated the problems, said regulators failed to catch errors in the power company's evaluation of a newly discovered seismic fault,Old School L A Kings newerahatsshop for Old School L A Kings New Era Hats. which led to the plant having insufficient protection against earthquakes.
The bar association said at the time it was "urgent" to establish an independent regulator. The Democratic Party of Japan endorsed the idea shortly before taking power in 2009.cheappaneraiwatcheswholesale by watcheswisshop 100% new style, free shipping to worldwide.
Hidehiko Nishiyama, a ministry official who has served as nuclear-safety spokesman during the crisis, defended Japan's setup, saying that the promotion side of the ministry doesn't interfere with safety regulation.
"It's totally not the case that the [accident] happened because there were some kind of cozy ties between Tokyo Electric Power" and the regulators, said Mr. Nishiyama,watchessales detailed information. who represents the ministry's Nuclear and Industrial Safety Agency. The accident "won't be an occasion to rethink" regulation, he added.
The Japanese ministry once oversaw broad swaths of the Japanese economy. But in recent years, its work has focused more on energy and power as other industries, such as autos, were deregulated.
Japan's nuclear regulator has amassed power while growing closer to the industry it regulates, according to former regulators and industry critics who blame the trend for lapses that may have contributed to the Fukushima Daiichi accident.
Bucking the global standard, Japan's Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry has two distinct and often competing roles: regulating the nuclear power industry, and promoting Japanese nuclear technology at home and abroad.
The setup recalls U.S. regulation of offshore drilling before last year's oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico, in which the same agency regulated the industry and promoted offshore oil-and- gas development. One of the Obama administration's first post-spill actions was to break up the agency.
In the U.S., the Nuclear Regulatory Commission, which oversees nuclear plants, is independent from the Department of Energy, which researches and promotes nuclear power.
Critics say that if regulators in Japan had been more independent they might have imposed stricter regulations on plant safety that could have prevented the crisis or eased its severity.
The ministry ordered companies in 2006 to review the earthquake readiness of their nuclear plants, but it didn't set a deadline. Tokyo Electric Power Co.replicawatch119 by sevenwatch88. Anyone can see this photo All rights reserved., or Tepco, the operator of the Fukushima Daiichi plant, filed its interim review in 2009. Its only mention of tsunami was to say that it was continuing to study the subject.
"The regulators are so friendly with power companies that they don't hold them responsible for so many things," said Tetsuya Iida,Best replicauhrenwatches Have you spent a lot of time looking for the best replica watch for you? a former nuclear-industry engineer who heads a think tank.
A 2007 earthquake in a different part of Japan crippled another Tepco nuclear plant. Japan's main bar association, which investigated the problems, said regulators failed to catch errors in the power company's evaluation of a newly discovered seismic fault,Old School L A Kings newerahatsshop for Old School L A Kings New Era Hats. which led to the plant having insufficient protection against earthquakes.
The bar association said at the time it was "urgent" to establish an independent regulator. The Democratic Party of Japan endorsed the idea shortly before taking power in 2009.cheappaneraiwatcheswholesale by watcheswisshop 100% new style, free shipping to worldwide.
Hidehiko Nishiyama, a ministry official who has served as nuclear-safety spokesman during the crisis, defended Japan's setup, saying that the promotion side of the ministry doesn't interfere with safety regulation.
"It's totally not the case that the [accident] happened because there were some kind of cozy ties between Tokyo Electric Power" and the regulators, said Mr. Nishiyama,watchessales detailed information. who represents the ministry's Nuclear and Industrial Safety Agency. The accident "won't be an occasion to rethink" regulation, he added.
The Japanese ministry once oversaw broad swaths of the Japanese economy. But in recent years, its work has focused more on energy and power as other industries, such as autos, were deregulated.
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