Japan Mulls Criminal Penalties for N-Plant Data Fraud

Tokyo, May 27 (Jiji Press)--Japan’s Nuclear Regulation Authority decided Wednesday to consider a law revision aimed at making any falsification in documents for nuclear reactor safety screening applications subject to criminal penalties.

The plan is being considered following earthquake risk data fraud by Chubu Electric Power Co. over its Hamaoka nuclear power plant in Shizuoka Prefecture, central Japan.

Specifically, the NRA is expected to add a provision to the nuclear reactor regulation law to impose criminal penalties for false statements in safety screening applications.

After the NRA learned of the issue through an external tip-off in February last year, Chubu Electric announced the misconduct in January this year.

Chubu Electric is now suspected of underestimating the seismic ground motions that the Hamaoka plant could experience while adopting a method different from that explained to the NRA.

[Copyright The Jiji Press, Ltd.]