Safeguards Challenges at Fukushima Dai-ichi Nuclear Site

Fukushima Dai-ichi in Japan is one of the largest nuclear sites in the world with six power reactors, as well as wet and dry spent fuel storages. On 11 March 2011 an earthquake and tsunami initiated a chain of events that damaged four of the reactors and caused a subsequent release of radioactive materials. Adverse conditions precluded IAEA inspectors’ access to the site from the time of the accident until early October 2011. Currently, access to the site remains restricted in the areas damaged in the accident - specifically Reactor Units 1, 2, 3 and 4 - due to high radiation levels. Additionally, the infrastructure that facilitates the conduct of safeguards verification activities is not fully available at the locations where access is permitted. A large inventory of material requires verification. Although the IAEA will soon verify part of the inventory, a smaller part will not be available for verification for an extended period. Moreover, the fact that a significant part of the fuel is presumed to be damaged will pose new verification challenges. This paper will describe how safeguards are planned to be applied at the Fukushima site - including the verification challenges presented by a large amount of nuclear material, damaged fuel and adverse radiological conditions - and the confidence-building measures that will be implemented. While access to certain nuclear materials and locations on site are precluded, the use of information analysis, consideration of State-specific factors, such as the enhanced cooperation provided by Japan, along with additional inspections and complementary access will ensure that there is continued confidence that all nuclear material in Japan remains in peaceful activities.