The Nuclear Regulatory Authority of Japan has welcomed nearly 400 members of staff of the Japan Nuclear Energy Safety Organization, a Japan technical support organization, in a ceremony on 1 March.
The administrative change will increase NRA's staff to 1000, according to a report in the Japan Times. The organization will probably need them to among other things review the restart proposals filed by 17 nuclear power plants. Since mid-2012, all 58 nuclear power reactors in the country have been shut pending restart approval.
The NRA is lead by a chairman, Syunichi Tanaka, four commissioners, and 10 executives.
According to an organization diagram, which lists JNES as an incorporated administrative agency, its staff will be responsible for inspections of nuclear facilities, analysis and assessment of safety and design of nuclear facilities. Other partially-linked agencies include Japan Atomic Energy Agency (JAEA), responsible for fundamental research, and the National Institute of Radiological Sciences, responsible for radiation research.
