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Japan Forward
01-08-2025
- Politics
- Japan Forward
Level Up Security Against Drones at Nuclear Power Plants
On the night of July 26, multiple aircraft believed to be drones entered the airspace above the Kyushu Electric Power Company's Genkai Nuclear Power Station in Saga Prefecture. There was no confirmed damage at the facility. However, this is a serious threat from the standpoint of nuclear material protection. It cannot be overlooked. Internationally, there have been a growing number of cases in which drones approach nuclear power facilities. That means nuclear power operators, including at Genkai, need to establish countermeasures and alert systems at their nuclear power plants. What Happened? According to the Nuclear Regulation Authority, three luminous objects believed to be drones were seen flying over the Genkai Nuclear Power Station at around 9 PM on Saturday, July 26. Four security personnel at the facility visually observed the aerial incursions. Kyushu Electric Power immediately contacted the Saga Prefectural Police unit stationed onsite. It also sent an emergency message to the Nuclear Regulation Authority, providing it with "nuclear material protection intelligence." That type of response is critical when there is a risk that a nuclear facility's operation may have been impacted. Who committed this illegal act of trespassing, and for what purpose? A Chinese TB001 reconnaissance and attack drone flew between Okinawa's main island and Miyako Island in February 2025. (Courtesy of the Ministry of Defense, Joint Staff Office) In principle, flying drones over nuclear power plants, Self-Defense Force (SDF) facilities, and their surrounding areas is explicitly prohibited by law. Prefectural police, therefore, want to quickly identify the operator or operators of the aircraft in question. So far, no abnormalities have been found in the facilities of Genkai units 3 and 4. They are still in operation. Nor were abnormalities found at units 1 and 2, which are currently undergoing decommissioning. Nevertheless, the incident serves as a warning alarm regarding our weak defenses against terrorist acts, sabotage, and aerial military attacks. The national government, power companies, and the police should immediately strengthen security around nuclear facilities. Close cooperation with the SDF is also in order. Jamming devices that use powerful radio waves to block drone flights over nuclear power plants should also be introduced. Instances in which drones interfere with nuclear power plants are also on the rise overseas. France and the United States have responded by introducing protective equipment. Japan's government should leverage the Genkai Nuclear Power Station incident as an opportunity to gather technical information on airspace crisis management that other countries have in place. Then, it should expedite the establishment of an adequate safety system within Japan. A screenshot (cropped image) from a video apparently captured by an unauthorized drone flying over the MSDF Yokosuka Base. The screenshot shows the light aircraft carrier JS Izumo. Technological advances in civilian drones have reached the point where they pose a threat to nuclear power plants and other critical infrastructure. What should be noted about this particular incursion into the Genkai Nuclear Power Station's airspace is that it occurred at night. Furthermore, multiple aircraft were involved. There is an observable pattern that has also been identified in similar incidents overseas. In those cases, the involvement of an organized, malicious actor is suspected. As discussions continue regarding the restart and construction of new nuclear power plants, all parties involved in nuclear administration must learn from this incident. Daily preparations to deal with new threats, including those posed by drones, can no longer be neglected. (Read the editorial in Japanese ) Author: Editorial Board, The Sankei Shimbun
NHK
30-07-2025
- Business
- NHK
Tomari plant's No.3 reactor in northern Japan passes screening for restart
A reactor of the Tomari nuclear power plant in northern Japan has passed regulatory screening, which is a prerequisite for its restart. The Tomari plant is located in Hokkaido Prefecture and operated by Hokkaido Electric Power Company. Japan's Nuclear Regulation Authority in April compiled a draft screening report on the plant's No.3 reactor under the new regulations drawn up after the 2011 Fukushima Daiichi nuclear accident. It then sought public opinions. At an NRA meeting on Wednesday, officials reported they received 143 opinions. One of them says a survey on active faults in the seabed may have been insufficient. The NRA concluded that safety measures by Hokkaido Electric are all satisfactory, and it unanimously approved the screening report. The Tomari No.3 unit is the 18th reactor that has passed the screening. It took a record 12 years for the reactor to clear the review since the utility applied for it. That is partly because of a survey on active faults under the plant's site. Hokkaido Electric will proceed with safety measures that meet the new regulations, including construction of seawalls. The company says it wants to restart the reactor as early as possible in 2027.
Japan Times
30-07-2025
- Business
- Japan Times
Hokkaido's Tomari nuclear reactor passes safety screening
The Nuclear Regulation Authority on Wednesday approved a safety screening report that the No. 3 reactor at the Tomari nuclear power plant in Hokkaido meets the country's safety standards. The reactor at Hokkaido Electric Power's plant is the first in Japan that has won such approval since the No. 2 reactor at the Shimane power plant of Chugoku Electric Power, which passed a safety screening in 2021, and the 18th reactor since the current safety standards were adopted. The Tomari No. 3 reactor, the newest in Japan, started operation in 2009. The authority screened the reactor for an unusually long period of 12 years as it took time for Hokkaido Electric to explain its measures to deal with possible earthquakes and tsunamis. The company, however, is still in litigation with local residents as it has appealed a court order not to operate the plant issued in 2022. It is uncertain whether the company can restart the reactor in 2027 as planned, given that it needs to obtain agreements from local governments. Hokkaido Electric applied for the safety screening on the day the current safety standards took effect in July 2013. The company has raised the maximum seismic ground motion assumed in its quake resistance design from 550 gals to 693 gals and the assumed maximum tsunami height from 7.3 meters to 17.8 meters. The company is building a seawall 19 meters tall with plans to complete it by around March 2027. It has also presented plans to build a new port in the north of the plant and establish a new transportation route dedicated to nuclear fuel, in view of the possibility that a nuclear fuel transportation ship may collide with the seawall due to tsunamis. Hokkaido Electric estimates that the reactor's safety measures will cost at least ¥515 billion ($3.47 billion). It aims to restart the plant's remaining two reactors in the first half of the 2030s.
Newsweek
28-07-2025
- Newsweek
Japan Nuclear Plant Reports Triple Drone Intrusion
Based on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources. Newsweek AI is in beta. Translations may contain inaccuracies—please refer to the original content. Three suspected drones recently intruded into a nuclear power complex in southwestern Japan, the country's nuclear watchdog said Sunday. Newsweek reached out to Japan's Nuclear Regulation Authority by email with a request for comment. Why It Matters Japan strictly prohibits drone flights near nuclear power plants under its 2016 Drone Act, with violations punishable by up to a year in prison or a maximum fine of 500,000 yen or approximately $3,370. Since the 2011 Fukushima Daiichi disaster—triggered by a massive earthquake and tsunami—Japan's approach to nuclear energy has shifted dramatically. The government suspended all reactors until 2015, gradually restarting some under stricter safety standards while decommissioning others. What To Know The Nuclear Regulation Authority said that bright objects believed to be drones were spotted Saturday over the four-reactor Genkai nuclear power plant in Saga Prefecture, according to Kyodo News. The statement was more cautious than the organization's earlier remarks on Saturday, when officials reported the objects as definitely being drones, citing reports from plant operator Kyushu Electric Power Co. An official with the nuclear regulator described the incident as "extremely unusual." Local authorities told Kyodo News that no abnormal fluctuations in radiation levels were detected at the complex afterward, and residents were not instructed to evacuate. Police spokesperson Masahiro Kosho told Agence France-Presse (AFP) that the aircraft have not been recovered. The identities and motives of the drone operators remain unknown, he added. Japan is cautiously turning back to nuclear power, with a new law allowing reactors to operate beyond 60 years taking effect in June. Nuclear-generated electricity reached 88.87 terawatt-hours last year—up 9.6 percent from the previous year, according to the Japan Atomic Industrial Forum. That's due to the reactivation of two boiling water reactors: Onagawa-2, operated by Tohoku Electric Power Co., and Shimane-2, run by Chugoku Electric Power Company. Imagery captured by Airbus on July 24, 2024, and provided by Google Earth shows Japan's Genkai Nuclear Power Plant in its southwestern Saga prefecture. Imagery captured by Airbus on July 24, 2024, and provided by Google Earth shows Japan's Genkai Nuclear Power Plant in its southwestern Saga prefecture. Aribus/Google Earth What People Are Saying A spokesperson for the Nuclear Regulation Authority told AFP: "No abnormalities were detected after the incident was reported, and no drones were found inside the plant's perimeter." Fatih Birol, executive director of the International Energy Agency (IEA) said at an event in Tokyo in March: "The restart of nuclear power plants is critical. I feel really bad that a country I really love, Japan, has so much idle capacity. I very much hope that soon, not only the Kashiwazaki Kariwa plant, but other nuclear power plants in Japan will come back, in a safe way." What Happens Next? While Genkai's No. 3 and 4 units resumed operation in 2018, units 1 and 2 are in the process of being decommissioned.
The Star
27-07-2025
- The Star
Three drones detected in nuclear plant
Three drones were detected in a Japanese nuclear power plant where two reactors are being decommissioned, the country's nuclear watchdog said. The unmanned aerial vehicles were spotted on Saturday night by the operator of Genkai Nuclear Power Station in the southwestern Kyushu region, the Nuclear Regulation Authority (NRA) said. Unauthorised drone flights over and near nuclear power plants are prohibited in Japan, the NRA and police said. 'No abnormalities were detected after the incident was reported, while drones have not been found inside the premises of the power plant,' a spokesman for the NRA said. Police spokesman Masahiro Kosho said they have not located the drones and do not know who flew them or for what purpose. Kyushu Electric Power Co operates the Genkai plant in Saga prefecture where two of its four reactors are being decommissioned. — AFP
