News Watch (May 14, 2026)
Japan’s Government Okays Gargantuan Financing for New and Renovated Large-scale Power Supplies
Proposed amendments to Japan’s Electricity Business Act were adopted by the Cabinet on March 24 and presented to the Diet. These amendments included securing supply capacity by promoting the development of large-scale intra- and inter-regional transmission lines and large-scale power supplies; improvement of conditions for stable, sustainable development of electricity businesses; and measures for improving the safety of solar-cell power generation. What’s at issue is promotion of the maintenance of large-scale power supplies. An outline of the legislation says, “The Minister of Economy, Trade and Industry (METI) will certify maintenance plans for large-scale power generating companies, while organizations overseeing large-regional electric power will provide loans to cover the necessary financing for maintenance, etc. (utilizing financial investments, loans and the like).”
According to material presented in the “Electric Power System Reform Verification-Based System Design Working Group” and the proposed revisions, first, electric power operators will in principle be required to obtain METI’s approval for the construction and salvaging of large-scale power supplies (e.g., 0.5GW or greater, to be stipulated by future ministerial ordinances) with an investment period of 10 years or more. That the target projects are large-scale power sources with investment periods of 10 years of more (from time of investment to recovery of the investment) means that this is essentially referring to thermal and nuclear power projects. In addition, they will be applying to the Organization of Cross-regional Coordination of Transmission Operators (OCCTO) for loans. OCCTO conducts cofinancing with private financial institutions. With the premise being that the loans will be provided by several such institutions, it will be necessary to set upper limits on the amounts of these loans, such as 30 percent of the total loan amount. However, for project finance cases that involve particularly large sums of money, it is said to be necessary to set a flexible upper limit according to the characteristics of each individual case. Moreover, since OCCTO does not possess the funds itself, Japan’s government will be providing money to OCCTO through means such as fiscal investment and loans. The proposed legislation states, “Amounts corresponding to all or part of the necessary amount may be subsidized.”
Literature Survey for Selecting Minamitorishima as HLW Disposal Site
On March 3, METI Minister Akazawa Ryosei asked Mayor Shibuya Masaaki of Ogasawara Village, Tokyo, in which the tiny remote island of Minamitorishima is located, for his understanding and cooperation in conducting a literature survey for selection of a high-level radioactive waste disposal site on Minamitorishima (the easternmost point of Japan). A senior official at METI handed the mayor a document with Minister Akazawa’s name, but dated February 26. While on a trip to Japan’s mainland, Mayor Shibuya was given an explanation from the government of the necessity for geological disposal and a description of the literature survey procedure. On February 9, he requested the government allow him to explain the implementation of the literature survey of Minamitorishima to Ogasawara Village. It was the first time for METI to field this sort of offer without first approaching local organizations or the Diet. Mayor Shibuya dispatched a letter on April 20 saying he would accept the national government’s decision, and he met with METI Minister Akazawa the next day, on April 21. Minister Akazawa declared “I would like to implement this literature survey, but leave it up to the discretion of our nation,” and the mayor accepted that. No attempt was made to solicit the views of the village’s residents. This was the first time for a mayor in Japan to entrust the government with that sort of responsibility without first taking that step.
CNIC has issued two statements on this, “Regarding the government request for a literature survey on Minamitorishima: Several issues need to be considered” dated March 10 (cnic.jp/english/?p=8967); and “The geological disposal of high-level radioactive waste on Minamitorishima is fraught with difficult issues” dated April 14 (cnic.jp/english/?p=9106).
Shimane Unit 2: Fuel-cooling Leeway Misjudged for More than 30 Years
The Unit 2 reactor at Shimane Nuclear Power Station was restarted on January 10, 2025 and underwent a regular inspection on February 9, 2026. On April 30, Chugoku Electric Power Co. reported that from August 25, 2025 to January, 26 2026, during its 18th operating cycle, the indicator showing the heating tolerance of one fuel assembly did not meet the limit value (1.25 or more, with a minimum value of 1.17), so there had been a period during which it had been operating while deviating from operational limits (exceeding the design allowable limit value of 1.07).
The Unit 2 reactor will be approaching 40 years in operation in January 2029. It underwent a regular inspection in February of this year, including for signs of deterioration of the facilities in a special inspection required for operation past 40 years, during which it was found that the diameter of the holes for water passage through one of 137 fuel support fittings was less than half of the design value. Each fitting has four holes for water passage which must be 61 to 72 millimeters in diameter, but all four of the fitting’s holes were only 30 millimeters in diameter.
It is said that in 1995, a mock part used in simulations to check the operation of the tool used for grasping the metal fittings had been incorrectly installed, and no one had noticed this for over 30 years. Chugoku Electric Power Co. is taking steps to evaluate and confirm the effects on the passage of cooling water through the holes under the conditions of other operational cycles since 1995. It is also looking into the cause and taking steps to avoid recurrences.
No Record of Replacing or Repairing Damaged Cap at Mihama Unit 3 for Nearly 50 Years
An alarm was activated at the Unit 3 reactor at the Mihama Nuclear Power Station on May 8 at 4:08 a.m., indicating a temperature difference between the upper and lower parts of the cover atop the high-pressure turbine. The operators in the central control room confirmed via a monitoring camera within the turbine building that steam was escaping from the vicinity of one of the high-pressure turbines, so at 4:24 they shut the reactor down manually. After that they could confirm at 4;43 that the steam issuance had stopped.
Kansai Electric Power Co. (Kanden) announced on May 12 that it had found damage measuring 1 centimeter vertically by 8 centimeters horizontally in one of the caps used to seal the covers over the turbines. The thickness of the damaged area had been reduced to about 1 millimeter at the thinnest place. Mihama Unit 3 began commercial operation on December 1, 1976, so as of the end of 2026 it will have been in operation for 50 years. Kanden says it has confirmed that no replacement or repair work had been done on the cap since the start of operations.
At a regular press conference on May 13, Yamanaka Shinsuke, who chairs Japan’s Nuclear Regulation Authority (NRA) said, “This is a new phenomenon that none of us has ever seen before. I would like to have the cause thoroughly investigated and countermeasures considered.” The NRA plans to hold an open meeting in the future for a detailed look into the mechanisms of the damage.
