Chairman Greeting

Once again it is an honor to offer my annual greeting to you. This is an opportunity to reflect on industry safety performance and the progress at JANSI as well as consider the external factors that continually challenge and shape the Japanese electric power industry. Before covering industry performance, however, I want to recognize the heroic efforts of the men and women of Hokuriku Electric Power Company and their response to the tragic earthquake that occurred on the Noto Peninsula on January 1 of this year. While we will learn lessons from the events associated with the earthquake, the dedicated response of the utility staff is an inspiration for us all.

As I write this greeting, 12 nuclear units at 6 sites have returned to service and are operating at world-class levels of safety and reliability as measured by accepted indicators of plant performance. Several additional units are completing their safety upgrades and final approvals for operation, including the first boiling water reactors to return to service since the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear accident in 2011. Furthermore, additional units are deeply engaged in completing safety analyses and constructing safety upgrades to obtain approvals for restart. The Rokkasho reprocessing facility is completing construction and preparing for the final regulatory approvals for commissioning. It should be noted that there is substantial on-going industry support including information sharing, benchmarking, and on-site reviews to provide necessary assurance that the units returning to service are fully prepared for operations. At JANSI we fully understand our success will be measured by the safety performance of the Japanese nuclear operators.

In March 2019, the JANSI Board of Directors approved the first JANSI 10-Year Strategic Plan. This strategic plan provided important direction and industry alignment to achieve the specified milestones and measures. In the ensuing 5 years, however, much has changed. JANSI has progressed from a startup to a mature organization with well-established processes and programs and industry performance has steadily improved with an increased awareness of global performance standards. Furthermore, new external factors have emerged including the Green Transformation, the increased importance of secure energy supplies, and significantly higher projected growth rates for electricity demand. As noted in last year’s greeting, the amount of change in the last 5 years prompted a strategic review of JANSI to assess that the JANSI activities and actions best serve today’s industry.

With extensive industry and stakeholder participation, in FY2023 a strategic review of JANSI was performed and in March 2024, a new 10-year strategic plan was approved by the JANSI Board of Directors. While continuing an undivided emphasis on nuclear safety, the new 10-year strategic plan also considers plant reliability in recognition of nuclear energy’s central role in reducing carbon emissions. It further defines a path forward in establishing a framework of continuous performance monitoring such that station and corporate leaders can identify and respond to early signs of performance decline as well as enabling JANSI to apply its resources to the areas in most need of attention. The new plan increases attention to the development of nuclear leaders that are proficient in maintaining critical self-awareness of performance, serve as guardians of high standards, and value continuous improvement as a way of life. Underpinning the strategy will continue to be assuring that the lessons from the accident at Fukushima Daiichi nuclear station are never forgotten.

With the new 10-Year Strategic Plan as a foundation, in FY2024 JANSI will move forward with 3 special focus areas. Our first special focus area is the continued effort to conduct high quality peer reviews. This includes implementing the WANO peer review equivalency process. Our second special focus area is the continued development of station performance and continuous monitoring. Using the WANO enhanced performance monitoring as a core element, we will construct a framework and analytical protocols that best serve the Japanese nuclear operators. And our third special focus area will be the support and monitoring of the units that are returning to service after long-duration shutdowns. Of particular attention will be the operational proficiency of the station staff as these units come back online. In addition to the special focus areas, JANSI will continuously improve other areas as well. We will increase our attention to the organizational effectiveness and corporate performance in support of a utility’s nuclear program. We will develop new and improved leadership programs recognizing the important role leadership plays in nurturing a healthy safety culture. And we will work collaboratively with our peer organizations such as ATENA, NRRC and WANO to most efficiently and effectively serve the industry.

As I close this annual greeting, I want to recognize an important leadership transition at JANSI. After 8 years of service at JANSI, the last 6 as CEO, Mr. Yamazaki retired in June 2024. Mr. Yamazaki provided the required leadership during a crucial period for JANSI. Under his leadership, JANSI went from a startup organization to an organization that is recognized domestically and internationally as a center of excellence for nuclear safety. Mr. Yamazaki will be missed in the industry, and we wish him all the best. Mr. Kato, former Chief Nuclear Officer at Tohoku Electric Power Company, was elected JANSI President and CEO at the June Annual General Meeting. Mr. Kato is well respected across the industry, and we look forward to Mr. Kato’s leadership in the years ahead.

At JANSI we feel the excitement of an industry that is committed to continuous improvement. We recognize the substantial challenges that confront the Japanese nuclear operators. We are inspired, however, by the industry’s collective commitment to safety excellence and the leadership efforts to nurture a healthy safety culture. We are confident that living by our motto “Excellence starts at home,” JANSI will continue to promote ever higher levels of safety performance.

William Edward Webster Jr.
Chairman
Japan Nuclear Safety Institute