Report from Japan: Nuclear experience, prospects, and plans

Thirty years have passed since research and development for the peaceful uses of nuclear energy was initiated as a national project in Japan. The basic laws guiding the development and application of atomic energy were enacted in 1955, limiting the uses of nuclear energy strictly to peaceful purposes. All nuclear activities have since been within the framework of these laws. As a country with very scarce energy resources, Japan is expecting nuclear energy to play an important role in the future supply of energy. Also, as the sole country to have suffered from nuclear weapons, it has always been most important to keep nuclear safety in mind when designing, constructing, and operating nuclear facilities. Uranium is among the scarce natural resources in Japan. Accordingly, the efficient use of uranium is another objective of this development. Since the development of nuclear energy requires long-term planning, the Government has set up the Long-Term Plan for Research, Development, and Utilization of Nuclear Energy, and has revised it periodically according to developments in nuclear energy and other factors (approximately 5 year interval). The Atomic Energy Commission already has started to revise the present plan