Protection of confidential information and countermeasures against insider threat in nuclear industry. Some practices in U.S. nuclear industry and their implication for Japan

In Japan, after law amendment of the Law for the Regulation of Nuclear Source Material, Nuclear Fuel Material and Reactors was implemented aiming for reinforcement of physical protection in 2005, there still remain a number of practical issues of how the nuclear administration applies the regulations in detail and how nuclear undertakers cope with the regulations. This report looks at how protection of confidential information and countermeasures against insider threat are regulated and handled in the United States civil nuclear energy industry, and extracts its implications for Japanese regulations and practical business affairs. This report points our four characteristics of protection of confidential information and countermeasures against insider threat in the United States commercial power industry: (1) regulatory contents are prescribed in detail within a specific scope, (2) private bureaucracy such as NEI provides support of compliance programs of nuclear undertakers, (3) strict protection and management system about Safeguards Information (SGI) has been developed in both sides of regulations and compliance programs, and (4) employee private information of a broad content including sensitive data such as financial status or the criminal record is acquired and used at the aim of security clearance by nuclear undertakers. These characteristics, especially point (2) serve as a reference in regulation enforcement in Japan while careful attentions should be paid in harmonizing with existing legislation. (author)