ADS National Programmes: Japan

In Japan, the research and development (R&D) activities on partitioning and transmutation (P&T) technology had been promoted under the OMEGA programme since 1988. The main institutes involved in these activities were the Japan Atomic Energy Research Institute (JAERI), the Japan Nuclear Cycle Development Institute (JNC), and the Central Research Institute of Electric Power Industry (CRIEPI). Among these institutes, JAERI had mainly conducted the R&D on ADS. In 1999 and 2000, the Atomic Energy Commission (AEC) of Japan implemented the check and review (C&R) on the P&T technology, and the ADS was considered as one of candidates for transmutation systems together with fast reactors. In 2005, JAERI and JNC were merged and the Japan Atomic Energy Agency (JAEA) was established. In JAEA, the R&D activities on both ADS and fast reactors have been continued. In August, 2008, the AEC of Japan launched the Technical Subcommittee on P&T Technology under the Advisory Committee on R&D, and conducted the discussion about the current state of the art concerning P&T technology in Japan and the future R&D programme. The Subcommittee issued the final report in April, 2009. The final report covered the impact of the P&T technology, the state of the art of the technology, evaluation on the progress of the R&D, and the recommendations of the future R&D. As the basic policy on the P&T technology, the report stated that the R&D should not aim at only the improvement of the P&T performance, but at the achievement of the requirements for whole performance of nuclear power generation. This means that the performance of the Double strata fuel cycle concept should be evaluated from viewpoints of safety, economy, environmental friendliness, saving resource, and non-proliferation of the first stratum as well as those of the second stratum. The Double strata concept, therefore, should be studied as a part of the whole nuclear system both in the transient phase of LWR to FBR and the equilibrium state of FBR. R&D of FBR and ADS should be coordinated strongly and their periodic evaluation was required. Regarding the ADS, the report appreciated the significant progress in the design study, accelerator development, LBE technology including a spallation target, etc. It was, however, pointed out that the ADS was still in the fundamental stage as a whole and that further accumulation of basic data was necessary to step up to the next stage to verify the engineering feasibility