Tokyo: The Japanese nuclear regulator recommended today that the government find an alternative entity to operate the troubled Monju prototype fast-breeder reactor following a series of problems with the current operator.
The move comes as a huge setback for the Japanese nuclear industry and government as the roughly 1 trillion yen ($8.25 billion) project is a cornerstone of resource-poor Japan's plan eventually to become self-sufficient in energy.
The Nuclear Regulation Authority's (NRA) head Shunichi Tanaka said today that state-run Japan Atomic Energy Agency is not to be relied upon to operate Monju, adding that he would like the government to reach a conclusion in about six months and that there's a need to reconsider the Monju project.
Fast-breeder reactors have been beset by technical difficulties and many countries have abandoned the costly programmes to develop them.
The Japanese government considered suspending development of Monju, then-Science Minister Yoshiaki Takaki said in 2011, months after the Fukushima disaster.
It reached criticality, the point at which a nuclear reaction begins, in 1994. But in December 1995, just months after the reactor first started power transmission, it was shut down when 640 kg (1,410 lb) of liquid sodium leaked from a cooling system, causing a fire.
The move comes as a huge setback for the Japanese nuclear industry and government as the roughly 1 trillion yen ($8.25 billion) project is a cornerstone of resource-poor Japan's plan eventually to become self-sufficient in energy.
The Nuclear Regulation Authority's (NRA) head Shunichi Tanaka said today that state-run Japan Atomic Energy Agency is not to be relied upon to operate Monju, adding that he would like the government to reach a conclusion in about six months and that there's a need to reconsider the Monju project.
Fast-breeder reactors have been beset by technical difficulties and many countries have abandoned the costly programmes to develop them.
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The Japanese government considered suspending development of Monju, then-Science Minister Yoshiaki Takaki said in 2011, months after the Fukushima disaster.
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It reached criticality, the point at which a nuclear reaction begins, in 1994. But in December 1995, just months after the reactor first started power transmission, it was shut down when 640 kg (1,410 lb) of liquid sodium leaked from a cooling system, causing a fire.
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