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Overview of Comments

Overview of Comments Received Via Website and Status of Responses

Why don’t you measure tritium concentrations in the ocean areas around China and Korea and compare them with the measurements for Japan?(As of 2023)

Status of Response

  • The NRMC serves as in an advisory capacity to the TEPCO Holdings, Inc. Board of Directors and monitors/supervises initiatives pertaining to nuclear power reforms at TEPCO Holdings, Inc.
  • Tritium is produced at nuclear power and reprocessing facilities in Japan and around the globe, and it is discharged into the ocean and the atmosphere in compliance with the laws and regulations of each respective nation. Data for Japan can be found on the Japan Chemical Analysis Center’s website “Japan’s Environmental Radioactivity and Radiation”. Data for neighboring nations that has also been compiled by the Japan Chemical Analysis Center can be found on the Ministry of the Environment’s website.

I’d like to suggest an effective technique as a countermeasure for contaminated water. (Methodology of preventing the outflow of contaminated water)(As of 2021)

Status of Response

Regarding the issues raised by recent disclosures related to water drainage, I think there has been a lack of observation and supervision by the Nuclear Reform Monitoring Committee.(As of 2015)

Status of Response

  • The Nuclear Reform Monitoring Committee set up a “Disclosure Subcommittee” regarding the issues raised by recent disclosures related to water drainage on March 6, 2015, and urged the Board of Directors to undertake the necessary actions.
  • The “Disclosure Subcommittee” reported the status of the investigation to the 8th Nuclear Reform Monitoring Committee and the public on March 30, 2015. The subcommittee will continue to investigate the issue and, based on the investigation result, will evaluate the practices, procedures, and policies concerning disclosure of data and data management, and communications.

Why does the Chairman of TEPCO serve as a member of the Nuclear Reform Monitoring Committee?(As of 2014)

Status of Response

  • The board of TEPCO, which includes the Chairman, supervises executives’ efforts on nuclear reform based on the suggestions and reports from the Nuclear Reform Monitoring Committee, the consultative body to the board of TEPCO.
  • The fact that the Chairman of TEPCO serves as a member of the Committee and listens directly to the opinions of external experts enables TEPCO to implement the Committee’s suggestions in a timely manner.(As of 2014)

I’d like you to monitor the dialogue between society and TEPCO as a whole, not only its Nuclear Division.(As of 2014)

Status of Response

  • Based on our recommendations, as TEPCO implements the Nuclear Safety Reform Plan, it promotes not only risk communication relating to nuclear safety, but also thoroughgoing disclosure and dialogue, and confirms whether there are gaps between the opinions and judgment of the whole company and society. If such gaps exist, they are rectified accordingly.
  • We observe and supervise the state of progress of TEPCO’s social communications and we report the results.

I’d like to suggest an effective technique as a countermeasure for contaminated water.(As of 2014)

Status of Response

TEPCO has no culture of “reform of its own accord” and has a history of “blind obedience to administrative guidance”. I’d like you to change the culture of its organization.(As of 2014)

Status of Response

  • We observe and supervise the state of progress of the Nuclear Safety Reform Plan, including “reform from top management”, to accelerate their actions and steadily inculcate a safety culture, and we report the results.

I submitted technology which will definitely help to solve the contaminated water problem via the public comments of the International Research Institute for Nuclear Decommissioning (IRID), but it was not adopted. Do you not approve technologies submitted by non nuclear-related companies?(As of 2014)

Status of Response

  • Our Committee is an advisory body to the TEPCO Board of Directors and conducts external monitoring and supervision of TEPCO nuclear reform activities. We are not in a position to comment on IRID’s public comments and adoption or non-adoption of technology.

I worked in the nuclear industry for many years and have considerable experience and knowledge. Do you recruit for positions to support the committee members?(As of 2014)

Status of Response

  • We don’t recruit for such positions. However, there are cases where individual members collaborate with people with specialized skills under their own responsibility and judgment

Who is in charge of “Decommissioning” among the Nuclear Reform Monitoring Committee Members? Please clarify the names of the members and the dates when he or she has visited Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Station.(As of 2014)

Status of Response

  • Dr. Dale Klein is in charge of "Decommissioning".
  • For more information on the inspection of the Fukushima Dai-ichi Nuclear Power Station, please refer to "Activities of each Committee Member" on this website.
  • In addition to site visits, the members also monitor the status of decommissioning by holding meetings, receiving progress reports on the Nuclear Safety Reform Plan and receiving e-mails sent from the secretariat of the Committee.

Fuel removal from Unit 4 is thought to be a milestone for TEPCO. Please publish photos and videos showing the sequence of work of fuel removal from Unit 4.(As of 2013)

Status of Response

The government is a substantial stockholder in TEPCO. For what reason has this committee been established? Please publish this committee's charter and how the responsibilities and authority are assured.(As of 2013)

Status of Response

  • As written in 「2. Status of the committee」 of the Nuclear Reform Monitoring Committee Charter, this committee is positioned as an advisory body to the Board of Directors of TEPCO.
  • As written in 「3. Membership」 and 「4. Mission and Scope of Activities」 of the NRMC Charter, in response to the request from the Board of Directors, this committee observes and supervises nuclear reform activities at TEPCO and will propose and report results to the Board of Directors.
  • The charter is published in 「About the Nuclear Reform Monitoring Committee」.

Please publish the reason why the NRMC selects its chairman from outside of Japan.(As of 2013)

Status of Response

  • As written in 「1. Purpose of the Committee」of the Nuclear Reform Monitoring Committee Charter, this Committee is intended to lead the nuclear reform activities of TEPCO towards practical reforms, through observation and supervision by overseas and domestic experts from external viewpoints.
  • As written in the memorandum of the First Nuclear Reform Monitoring Committee meeting, Dr. Klein was elected as the chairman, upon recommendation by Lady Barbara Judge CBE and Mr. Sakurai.

Please publish the nationalities of each committee member up to their grandfathers.(As of 2013)

Status of Response

  • We refrain from publishing this as it is personal information.

Please publish the video of the conversations following the Fukushima Accident and of when Mr. Kan, the former prime minister, stormed into the TEPCO office.(As of 2013)

Status of Response

Please confirm whether a system is in place to archive the various valuable data gained from the Fukushima Accident domestically in Japan, and provide this for use overseas.(As of 2013)

Status of Response

Please publish the remuneration of each committee member.(As of 2013)

Status of Response

  • We refrain from publishing information on the existence or amount of remuneration for committee members.

Why was Dr. Kenichi Ohmae absent from the Fourth Nuclear Reform Monitoring Committee meeting?(As of 2013)

Status of Response

  • He was absent from the Fourth Nuclear Reform Monitoring Committee meeting by his own will. With regard to the ”technical side”, of which he is charge, he reported the studies, the facts verified by these studies and the proposals which can be made on their basis at the second Nuclear Reform Monitoring Committee meeting. This information was published at the press conference.

The disclosure methods of the TV conference footage of the Accident at Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Station and the falsified information presented during the briefing to the National Diet of Japan Fukushima Nuclear Accident Independent Investigation Commission has made it clear that TEPCO has a problem with how it discloses information. TEPCO should disclose the facts promptly and accurately and take responsibility for their fraudulent actions.(As of 2013)

Status of Response

  • By observing TEPCO’s response to the “falsified information briefing to the National Diet of Japan Fukushima Nuclear Accident Independent Investigation Commission” and the “recent power supply failure accident at Fukushima Daiichi”, the penetration of the reforms of which TEPCO aspires to organizations within TEPCO must be intensified and accelerated. The Nuclear Reform Monitoring Committee proposes 8 initiatives in the report for the Reform Plan to take effect at TEPCO to firmly establish the world’s highest standards in nuclear safety culture.(July 26, 2013)
  • The Nuclear Reform Monitoring Committee will follow the execution status of the Nuclear Sefety Reform Plan at regular intervals, and will continue to publish its findings.

Please provide information on TEPCO’s crisis management initiatives after the accident at Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Station.(As of 2013)

Status of Response

Please make the distribution materials of the Nuclear Reform Monitoring Committee available for browsing and copying.(As of 2012)

Status of Response

Please clarify the rules on public information disclosure.(As of 2012)

Status of Response

  • The “Rules on Public Information Disclosure” has been posted on the “About NRMC” page.