COLLABORATION BETWEEN THE IAEA, JAPAN STATE AUTHORITIES, AND JNFL ON THE IMPLEMENTATION OF SAFEGUARDS AT THE ROKKASHO REPROCESSING PLANT (RRP)

The IAEA has been preparing Safeguards Implementation Practice (SIP) guides covering various safeguards relevant topics for the purpose of providing assistance to States through a Service Series available on the IAEA website. An SIP that is currently under preparation is the “Safeguards Implementation Practices Guide on Collaborative Approaches to Safeguards Implementation”. One of the successful examples of collaboration that has contributed to this SIP is the experience gained during the implementation of safeguards at the Rokkasho Reprocessing Plant (RRP) in Japan. The design of a safeguards approach and its implementation at RRP was one of the most challenging that the IAEA has ever under taken. The success of the IAEA in implementing safeguards in such a large and complex facility is the culmination of experiences and lessons learned over the past 40 years. However, this particular project could not have achieved an agreed conclusion without a high level of collaboration between the IAEA, the State Regulatory Authority (SRA) and the facility operator – Japan Nuclear Fuels Limited (JNFL). This paper will present many of the challenges that, although on a larger scale at RRP, are common to the implementation of international safeguards in all complex facilities. It will address the efforts made and the methods used by all of the stake holders to encourage and sustain that collaboration.