Transparency studies at JAEA
- Transparency studies at Japan Atomic Energy Agency (JAEA) were performed as joint projects with the United States (US) Department of Energy (DOE) and its national laboratories.
- A series of transparency studies started in 1995 and successfully completed in 2013.
- Although nuclear transparency is a concept that covers all three areas of 3S (safety, security and safeguards), JAEA has focused on those areas related to nuclear nonproliferation.
- JAEA, as a Track II (non-governmental, professions) organization, has mainly focused on the information sharing and transparency between experts in Track II organizations within the Asia-Pacific region.
- The series of studies can be categorized into the 4 main areas as shown below:
- Fig. 1. JAEA-DOE transparency studies in the past -
(1) Fundamental Concept Study (1996-1997, LANL: Los Alamos National Laboratory)
- Ultimate goal was to improve worldwide acceptance of nuclear energy.
- Fundamental elements of transparency were defined: definition, goal, challenges, criteria for applying transparency, etc.
- Candidate technologies were listed: remote monitoring system, environmental monitoring, satellite monitoring, independent inspections, etc.
- This study formed the basis of the follow on transparency studies and activities at JAEA.
(2) Remote Monitoring System at JOYO (1995-2010, SNL: Sandia National Laboratories) [1] [2] [3] [4]
- Developed, demonstrated and updated remote monitoring systems (RMS) for safeguards and regional transparency use over 15 years at JAEA Experimental Fast Reactor ‘JOYO’.
- Original RMS: on-site monitoring system and remote-site data review stations at JOYO. It was linked to SNL through conventional phone lines (modems) in 1997.
- Expanded to Fresh Fuel Storage and upgraded by applying new technologies.
- Fig. 2.Schematic of JOYO RMS as of 2008 -
- RMS technologies as a transparency measure were demonstrated.
- SNL-Korea Atomic Energy Research Institute (KAERI), SNL-Idaho National Laboratory (INL) RMSs were also developed: multilateral remote monitoring network was proposed by linking these independent bilateral RMSs.
- JAEA developed and established a website as a portal of the network to facilitate communication among users with access to the website.
- Fig. 3 Opening page of the website portal established by JAEA -
(3) Cooperation on the Council for Security Cooperation in the Asia Pacific (CSCAP) [5][10]
- CSCAP is the nongovernmental (Track II), multilateral organization to address safety and nonproliferation concerns by providing a structured process for regional confidence building and enhancing transparency
- To achieve its mission, the website “Nuclear Transparency in the Asia Pacific” was developed under the leadership of SNL, which links existing transparency measures across the Asia Pacific region and encourages further transparency.
- JAEA sent an expert to SNL for 18 months to support the effort.
- Online tools for enhancing regional transparency were explored. The website developed the first near-real time display of airborne radiation, a virtual tour of the U.S. Waste Isolation Pilot Plant (WIPP) for storage of Transuranic (TRU) waste, etc.
- CSCAP also served as a good example of the Track II effort, which demonstrated its broad capability of promoting nuclear transparency at international, regional and domestic levels.
- Fig. 4 Website for “Nuclear Transparency in the Asia Pacific” -
(4) Development of Information Sharing Framework (2011-2013, SNL) [6] [7] [8] [9]
- Follow-on study of the RMS demonstrations, executed as a multilateral effort among JAEA, SNL, Korea Institute of Nuclear Non-Proliferation and Control (KINAC) and Korea Atomic Energy Research Institute (KAERI).
- Information Sharing Framework (ISF) was defined as “a communication platform for Track II experts to exchange safeguards and nonproliferation-relevant information in a sustainable and systematic manner."
- ISF identified stakeholders, their needs and concerns to implement meaningful and sustainable information sharing.
- At the end of the two-year project, the comprehensive requirements for ISF were defined as; “implement the Plan-Do-Check-Adjust (PDCA) cycle for each category of information to be shared."
- Planning consisted of defining the requirements elements including "objectives, audience, scope, content, amount of information to share, frequency of sharing information, information quality, infrastructure and evaluation”
- Fig. 5 Requirements elements and PDCA process -
Other activities for transparency [2]
In addition to the joint studies described above, JAEA has hosted and co-hosted six transparency workshops to open the discussion of transparency concepts and technologies to a wider group of stakeholders.
- Fig. 6 “Workshop on Transparency Technology for Nonproliferation Cooperation in the Asia Pacific”, Tokyo, Japan, 2008 -
Based on all of the past achievements and lessons learned, JAEA is currently moving forward to a “practical stage” of nuclear transparency by developing the information sharing framework and establishing information exchange in cooperation with APSN.
[1] M. Hori, et al. “Overview of Future Directions of Remote Monitoring Study at JNC”, Proceedings of 42th INMM Annual Meeting, USA, 2002
[2] B. Hoffheins et al. “JAEA’s Efforts for Regional Transparency in the Area of Nuclear Nonproliferation”, JAEA-Review 2013-006, 2013
[3] D. Betsill et al. “Remote Monitoring and Secure Communication for Regional Cooperation” Proceedings of the 48th INMM Annual Meeting, USA 2007
[4] J. Olsen et al. “Regional Cooperation in Remote Monitoring for Nuclear Nonproliferation and Transparency”, Proceedings of the 46th INMM Annual Meeting, USA 2005
[5] N. I. Nakashima et al. “A Regional Web Site for Nuclear Transparency in the Asia Pacific”, Proceedings of the INMM Annual Meeting, USA 2002
[6] Y. Kawakubo et al. “Information Sharing Framework among Experts for Facilitating Development of Fast Reactors and Fuel Cycles”, Proceedings of FR 13, France 2013
[7] R. Mongiello, et al. “Development of an Information Sharing Framework: Efforts at Regional Transparency in the Asia Pacific,” Proceedings of the 53th INMM Annual Meeting, USA 2012
[8] Y. Kawakubo et al. “Development of Information Sharing Requirements for Regional Nuclear Transparency”, Proceedings of the 54th INMM Annual Meeting, USA 2013
[9] Y. Kawakubo et al. “Development of an Information Sharing Framework: Communication Strategies” Proceedings of the 53th INMM Annual Meeting, USA 2012
[10] Y. Kawakubo et al. “Studies on Enhancing Nuclear Transparency in the Asia-Pacific Region”, Symposium on International Safeguards: Linking Strategy, Implementation and People. Book of Abstracts, Presentations and Papers, IAEA CN-220, Austria 2014.
