Overview
- Japan’s Nuclear Regulation Authority said the previous screening will be scrapped and the Hamaoka review will start from scratch after confirming forged quake-resistance data.
- Chubu Electric acknowledged it hand-picked an earthquake wave pattern near the average of 20 models, which reduced the calculated standard seismic motion, and it apologized and set up an independent panel.
- The industry ministry ordered Chubu to submit a detailed report by April 6 explaining the cause of the misconduct and measures to prevent a recurrence.
- A whistleblower alert in February 2025 triggered the NRA probe, and the regulator suspended Hamaoka’s safety review in late December before the utility’s public admission this week.
- NRA commissioners signaled that restarting the No. 3 and No. 4 reactors is unlikely in the near term, noting the plant’s location over the Nankai Trough and the broader setback to Japan’s restart plans.