nuclear-news

The Japanese Nuclear Regulation Authority (NRA) said that four of the six members of the panel had been in receipt of over $500,000 that took the form of grants, donations and compensation over the past three to four years.

The panel members are required to declare their financial records and income, but there is no condition for their removal should previously withheld data come to light. The NRA pointed out that all of the transactions were legal and above board…..

Of the four members of the watchdog, Akio Yamamoto, a professor from the University of Negoya was granted over $300,000 Mitsubishi Heavy Industries Ltd which produces equipment for reactors in Japan, while Akira Yamaguchi, a professor at Osaka University totted up over $120,000 in funds from Japan Atomic Power Co.

In addition, University of Tsukuba professor Yutaka Abe received a combined $62,000 from a number of bodies affiliated with the Japanese atomic industry. The fourth member of the watchdog, researcher Tomoyuki Sugiyama got around $37,000 in grants from state-run Japan Atomic Energy Agency.

Japanese newspaper publication the Tokyo Shimbun said on Saturday that the funding may see the panel dampen measures “to reflect the utilities’ wishes.”

The NRA was formed in the wake of protests calling for a more independent safety watchdog for the nuclear power industry, following the Fukushima nuclear disaster caused by the earthquake and tsunami on March 11 of last year.

The former body charged with imposing nuclear safety standards was the Nuclear and Industrial Safety Agency (NISA) industry watchdog which was part of the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry. It came under fire following the Fukushima meltdown, condemned as a “nuclear village” with overly close economic ties.

A large part of the newly-formed NRA is made up of ex-members of NISA……. http://rt.com/news/japan-nuclear-funds-watchdog-943/