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Mahayana Buddhism and Nuclear Safety

Published on Dec. 15, 2015 : The Denki Shimbun (The Electric Daily News)
Shojiro Matsuura
Chairman of JANSI

It has been a while since the “All in one boat” slogan came into frequent use in the field of nuclear safety-ensuring. This phrase bears a striking resemblance to the basic doctrine of Mahayana Buddhism, which states that the great power of Amitabha Buddha’s mercy will guide all living beings to Sukhavati (i.e., Paradise) as if they were sent in a large ship.

Meanwhile, some differences exist as well. The teachings of Mahayana Buddhism mention to rely on Amitabha Buddha instead of on one’s own abilities, whereas nuclear safety demands the determination of operators to make voluntary efforts and stand on their own feet.

Nonetheless, not holding on to one’s limited understanding, widely sharing awareness on the value of nuclear safety, and working together to achieve excellence in safety-ensuring, is a concept that goes along the lines of Mahayana Buddhism.

Thinking in this approach reveals many Buddhism or Confucianism concepts that contribute largely to the act of ensuring security. For instance, the idea of “sow evil and reap evil” indicates that covering up seeds of accidents with reactor designs, productions, and constructions would eventually cause serious incidents. Likewise, the concept to “do only good deeds” can be interpreted as a warning not to engage in acts that would cause risk. “A person of virtue is never alone; he who practices it will always have neighbors,” which is a passage from the Analects of Confucius, meaning that acting under good faith would undoubtedly bring about individuals that are willing to support you, making this doctrine essential for promoting safety-ensuring initiatives.

The “All in one boat” phrase often came into play in nuclear-related areas after the Chernobyl accident in 1986. This slogan entails a warning that when a serious accident occurs at a particular nuclear power station, it would significantly affect nuclear power generation businesses in all regions around the world. One can also understand the phrase as an idea expressing that all parties associated with nuclear power generation are in a mutual-admonishing relationship based on safety-ensuring.

With serious reflections on the 1977 Three Mile Island reactor accident, U.S. nuclear operators established the Institute of Nuclear Power Operations (INPO) far before the Chernobyl accident. By setting this organization as a coach, the operators have developed a mutual-admonishing relationship and jointly enhanced its safe administration results while maintaining solidarity. At the back of this course of actions was the continued 30-year effort of operators, trying to emulate the U.S. Navy’s intense ethos towards achieving excellence of reactor safety.

Today, senior officials of the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission Secretary Office highly regard the remarkable contribution made by INPO for the country’s safe nuclear power generation administration results.

On global terms, the World Association of Nuclear Operators (WANO) was founded after Chernobyl by setting the U.S. initiative as a role model. This association has been connecting nuclear operators worldwide in a fashion similar to INPO, and maintaining its endeavor to scale up the effectiveness of safe operations.

Let us examine how the “All in one boat” concept has progressed in Japan. I visited power stations nationwide during my days as the Head of the Nuclear Safety Commission, and was struck by how the stations were extremely individualistic; they scarcely had any willingness to cooperate among operators for services or works related to safety-ensuring.

The first practical collaboration attempted between Japanese nuclear operators under the “All in one boat” concept, which appeared to me as a basis for future success, was the inter-operator partnership exercised in the recent restarup for Kyushu Electric Power’s Sendai Unit 1. This event demonstrated firsthand that Japan’s nuclear operators can cooperate for safety improvement efforts, and will be noted as the first-ever case that essentially showed hopes for the unity of operators in terms of safe administration. I strongly hope that these efforts will sustain, and that the quality of its details would be brushed up.

Turning to Japan’s Nuclear Regulation Authority, do they have an awareness as a member of this boat? It is hoped that they sit squarely in the boat as a demon with a Buddha’s heart and verify the nuclear safety, just like pointing to the safe lanes in a vast ocean.




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