Policy Planning and Coordination Division

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This Division ensures that the entire JNES organization maintains the right course and coordinates all projects, such as the planning of safety research and international collaborative research, carried on by all its sections. The Division also prepares information systems including networks, and manages information security. The Technology and Information General Office conducts the technical evaluation of academic society standards, distribution and proposal of information on safety regulation of nuclear installations to the government and others concerned, and publishes and disseminates nuclear safety information to both domestic and overseas organizations through the Annual Report on Operation and Management, etc., while putting in place the knowledge and information infrastructure.

1. General Coordination for Entire JNES Organization

For the incorporated administrative agency system, the relevant agency sets a mid term plan for achieving the mid-term target given by the competent minister and carries out operations autonomously and independently while its achievements, etc. are subject to strict ex-post evaluation by an external committee.
Therefore, JNES draws up a middle term plan and an annual plan for achieving it while the Division is in charge of developing these plans and operations evaluation.
For operation management in line with these plans, JNES also carries out general coordination of operations of the entire organization including planning to comprehensively and efficiently promote operations, such as budgetary management and the review of the organization and administrative authority.

Reflection on operations experience (Clearing house)

2. Collection, Compilation, Publication and Distribution of Nuclear Safety Information

The Division collects information on accidents and failures that have occurred in Japan, the US, Europe and Asia, information on operational status, and on regulatory status in other nations by using its international networks. The Division also develops databases to maintain the information collected.
The Division also analyzes capacity factor, the number and frequency of the reactor shutdown, and radiation doses of domestic and foreign nuclear power plants and preserves them as plant characteristic statistical information in an orderly manner.
JNES publishes the nuclear safety information that has been collected, analyzed and evaluated through its Annual Report on Operation and Management and on the JNES website.
Further, in collaboration with the Office of International Programs, the Division shares information on accidents and operational status in Japan with relevant overseas organizations through participation in international conferences of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development/Nuclear Energy Agency (OECD/NEA) as well as JNES web pages.

Issuance of Annual Report-on Operation-and Management

3. Planning of Safety Research and Publishing of ResultsResults and Nuclear Safety Information

The Division extracts regulatory challenges to ensure further safety of nuclear installations from “Mission and Action Plan of the Nuclear and Industrial Safety Agency” (Mission paper) and plans the required research (safety) necessary for solving the issues of the entire regulatory activities conducted by the Nuclear and Industrial Safety Agency.
Upon hearing the views from the Nuclear Safety Research Evaluation Committee (independent panel), the Division complies prepared plans by theme as safety research plans and publishes them on the website.
Further, the Division pursues the incorporation of safety research results into work related to inspection and review, nuclear emergency preparedness, and other codes and standards.
JNES publishes an annual safety research report concisely summarizing results of activities for each year with an emphasis placed on safety research results for each subject. The annual safety research report is disclosed to the public on the JNES website and distributed to the municipalities where the nuclear installations are located and other relevant organizations in Japan.

4.Clearing House

The Division screens the information collected from domestic and overseas nuclear installations in order to sort out problems, extracts critical cases, and analyzes and evaluates details that should be reflected into domestic practice. The Division then presents the results to the government, and examines the details to determine the necessity of further safety ensuring measures. These activities correspond to the functions collectively referred to as the "clearing house," increasingly introduced in the United States and Europe. Additionally, the Division technically supports the assessment conducted by the government based on the International Nuclear and Radiological Event Scale (INES).

5.Technical Evaluation of Academic Society Standards

To ensure safety of nuclear installations, the government has introduced a system by which academic society standards are utilized as specification standards to satisfy the regulatory requirements stipulated by the government. As part of the system, the Division coordinates various committees and working groups and manages the entire organization to technically evaluate the compliance with the technical criteria of academic society standards.

Meeting of Nuclear Safety Research Evaluation Committee