Japan's Nuclear Regulation Authority (NRA) on 14 April adopted draft reports that effectively approved safety measures for two nuclear research reactors - the first time that any research reactor had passed NRA screenings based on the stricter post Fukushima safety standards. NRA plans to adopt the reports officially after hearing opinions from the Japan Atomic Energy Commission and the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science & Technology.
The reactors are the Kyoto University Critical Assembly with an output capacity of 100 watts and the 1 watt Kinki University Reactor, both in Osaka Prefecture. The new safety standards do not require the operators of research reactors with output capacities of less than 500kW to have measures for dealing with severe accidents, which are included in safety standards for commercial nuclear facilities.
