Annual report of the Japan Nuclear Ship Development Agency, 1979

The pending repair work of the shielding of the nuclear ship ''Mutsu'' was started at long last, and the development of nuclear ships in Japan is to be accelerated again. The Agency intends to exert more efforts to execute the repair of shielding and the works of the general inspection on safety for ''Mutsu'' rapidly and surely and to attain the expected objective. The energy situation in the world is still in confusion, and all countries, advanced and developing alike, are carrying out the researches to develop and utilize substitute energy. Especially large expectation is entertained in atomic energy which can fill the energy gap for the time being, and the policy to promote positively the improvement of safety and the development of the application to new fields is being taken. In such situation, the Atomic Energy Commission clarified the policy to positively promote the research and development on nuclear ships including the design of new nuclear reactors considering their necessity to relax the restriction of energy supply. As for the ''Mutsu'', the AEC insists that the repair should be completed and the operation test must be executed urgently. Concerning the organization for the research and development, the Agency is to undertake the solution of the pending problems related to the ''Mutsu'', and also is required to have the functions of the research and development aiming at the improvement of the economy and reliability of nuclear ships. In this report, the works of the Agency carried out in 1979 are described. (Kako, I.)