I am Masuhiro Nakano, continuing to serve as the Director of the Operating Experience Analysis Division.

The Operating Experience and Analysis Division has gathered operating experiences from plants in and outside Japan, analyzed individual events, and issued documents according to their significance levels, providing information that is beneficial for the industry from the perspective of preventing the recurrence of plant problems.We have been conducting trend analysis of plant troubles in Japan since FY2010 and supplying licensees with the findings from the in-depth analysis on what causes many plant troubles and on which systems many troubles are occurring at.We have also been engaged with analyses from the aspect of human factors.

The performance indicators defined by WANO (World Association of Nuclear Operators) have been used since FY2010 to sort and evaluate the performance of nuclear plant operations in Japan.We identified Japanese nuclear plants’ good practices and challenges in our assessment, prompting us to use the information to examine the way for future improvement.

We have also assisted licensees in their efforts to improve quality assurance activities and helped them improve on their skills in performing root-cause analysis (RCA).

We have worked on reinforcing our initiatives to make these activities more effective and valuable.However, with the major tsunami-induced accident at TEPCO’s Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Station on March 11 last year, we had to suspend these activities to concentrate our resources on addressing the accident at the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Station.

As part of emergency response measures, an accident investigation commission, consisting of experts from electric utilities and plant manufacturers, was set up within JANTI.JANTI, who is a member of this commission, analyzed the developments and causes of the accident, identified lessons to be learned, and compiled a list of recommendations that could boost the safety of nuclear power stations.In late October last year, the recommendations were released as the report, “Review of Accident at Tokyo electric Power Company Incorporated’s Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Station and Proposed Countermeasures”.Electric utilities are currently studying these recommendations to formulate their own countermeasures.

In January this year, Chairman Yagi of the Federation of Electric Power Companies of Japan announced the industry’s intention to form a new organization for further improving the safety of nuclear power stations in Japan.

We will continue to review and strengthen our current activities, in the prospect that they would be fully utilized in the new organization.

With operations suspended at all of the nuclear power stations and the undetermined schedule to restart nuclear plant operations following the Ohi Nuclear Power Station, JANTI is committed to making all-out efforts to restore public trust to the nuclear energy industry.Your continued guidance and support would be appreciated.