Present Status and Future Direction of Japan’s Safeguards System

believes nuclear energy is one of the vital energy resources to maintain vitality of industries and welfare of people of Japan. Long Term Program for Peaceful Nuclear Energy in Japan of 1994 describes that recycling strategy will be very important for Japan, and that safety considerations and nonproliferation considerations are two important factors for realizing recycling policy. Japan’s national system of nuclear material control has begun when Japan had introduced nuclear material from abroad, and the system has continued to change evolutionary. A big improvement was occurred by acceptance of NPT by Japan in 1976. Since then, Japan’s national safeguards system ( SSAC ) is the basis for implementing the IAEA safeguards to Japan. SSAC of Japan has an inspectrate and maintains a capability to verify the activities of nuclear industry in Japan independently. National inspection activities are coordinated with the IAEA inspection activities. More closer cooperation between the IAEA and national system would be preferable. Japan has an intention to accelerate such cooperation in order to assist the successful implementation of the IAEA’s Programme 93+2 Part I activities. The authors will present in the paper details of present SSAC activities and future trend, including strengthening SSAC and intensifying cooperation with the IAEA.