Marking the 10th Anniversary of the Establishment of JANSI

On November 15, 2022, the Japan Nuclear Safety Institute (JANSI) will celebrate its 10th anniversary. Today JANSI programs and activities to promote the highest standards of nuclear safety are woven onto the fabric of the Japanese nuclear industry. We would like to express our sincere gratitude to all our members and other stakeholders who have provided support and guidance over the past 10 years.

Founded on an industry commitment to “prevent any severe accident similar to the TEPCO Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Station accident” JANSI was modeled after the Institute of Nuclear Power Operations in the United States. With the mission of "Pursuing the world’s highest Level of Safety” we continually strive to lead voluntary and continuous safety improvement initiatives for the Japanese nuclear operators. Every day approximately 200 dedicated professionals at JANSI work to set standards, monitor performance and train and assist the Japanese nuclear operators in achievement of ever rising standards of safety performance.

The first 10 years for JANSI have been challenging as we have developed and implemented new programs to enhance industry safety. We have been greatly assisted by our members as well as like-minded organizations, such as INPO and the World Association of Nuclear Operators. We would like to highlight as few of our more notable accomplishments as follows:

1. Governance: In FY2018 the governance structure of JANSI was significantly strengthened when all chief executive officers of Japanese nuclear operating companies joined the JANSI Board of Directors. This bold move underscored the industry’s commitment to JANSI and gave JANSI the undisputed authority to set and enforce high safety standards. In FY2018, the JANSI Board of Directors approved a JANSI 10-Year Strategic Plan. This plan clearly defined 12 goals for the industry and JANSI as well as a roadmap to achieve these ambitious goals. The strategy is a useful means to monitor and assess industry and JANSI progress.

2. Peer Reviews: A comprehensive plant peer review, conducted on a regular basis, is the primary means by which JANSI monitors performance and enforces the highest safety standards. Today all nuclear power stations in Japan have received a peer review and the stations in operation have received multiple peer reviews. Station and corporate leadership use the results of these reviews to continuously improve safety performance. In October 2022, the JANSI plant peer review program completed a rigorous multi-year assessment process and was designated by WANO as equivalent to a WANO peer review. This was the first such designation for a plant peer review program in the world.

3. Nuclear Safety Culture and Safety Improvement Support: JANSI has adopted the internationally recognized model of a healthy safety culture. This model is used to conduct regular assessments of the safety culture of member organizations. The results of these assessments are provided to senior management and are used to continuously improve safety culture health. Furthermore, using international standards, JANSI has conducted in-depth reviews of plant safety and industry operating experience and made recommendations to the operators to improve safety margins. These recommendations are implemented by the operators and followed up by JANSI to verify the intent of each recommendation is achieved.

4. Leadership Training and Development: JANSI has developed and provides a suite of training courses focused on safety leadership and emergency response. These courses are for leadership positions ranging from the front-line supervisors to the chief executive officers. These training sessions are well attended by the operating staff and serve to reinforce the basic concepts of a high-performance, safety-focused organization and the leader behaviors that support such an organization.

5. Lessons from the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Accident: JANSI has embedded the lessons from the Fukushima nuclear accident in all our activities. Most notably the JANSI Annual Conference is held every March and the lessons from the accident are highlighted and reinforced at this venue. Additionally, JANSI complied a comprehensive compendium of lessons from the wide number of investigations of the accident. This compendium is a ready reference and enables the lessons to efficiently be incorporated into JANSI and industry initiatives and routine activities.

The above are just a few of the more notable programs at JANSI that are in full operation in service to the industry.

Today 10 nuclear power plants at 6 sites have returned to service following significant safety upgrades. It is notable that these stations have embraced the mission and values of JANSI and are operating at a high level of safety and reliability. We recognize that significant work lies ahead as additional units prepare to return to service and as the industry’s expectations for JANSI increase. As we mark our 10-year anniversary we note that JANSI has progressed from a start-up organization to a mature organization with key programs in place and functioning. We further recognize this is only a milestone on a long journey. At JANSI we will not waver and will aim to improve Japan’s nuclear safety while firmly maintaining our independence as a self-regulatory organization. We will further strive for “Untiring Pursuit of the Highest Standards of Excellence” in nuclear safety.