IMPLICATIDM OF INFCIRC/225/Rev.4 TO JAPAN’S NUCLEAR SECURITY PROGRAM

Japan’s domestic physical protection system was formulated soon after the issuance of IAEA Guidelines, INFCIRC/225. Major elements of Japan’s system are taken from the IAEA Guidelines. Because of recent changes in global social, economic and security environment, especially to meet the strengthening of non-proliferation efforts of international community, IAEA Guidelines have revised last year (INFCIRC/225/Rev.4). As far as Japan’s physical protection system is concerned, most of the amendments are already taken care by the present domestic regulations in force, but several important points of Revised Guidelines have to be incorporated into the system, or at least to be discussed. The authority in Japan will take steps to proceed further, and it is expected revised domestic regulations will be promulgated within one or two years. Global physical protection system is an element of global non-proliferation regime. The global non-proliferation regime is an evolving system, and another evolution is now going on. From such point of view, the author proposes the needs of future discussions in the international level, on specific three subjects associated with the global physical protection system.