The Japanese government decided on July 3 rules for selecting the members of the new “nuclear regulatory commission” to be established by September. A qualified candidate shall not have worked for a nuclear operator or group in the recent three years, and shall not have received a reward exceeding a certain amount from any one nuclear operator.
The commission will consist of a chairman and four commissioners, which are all full-time positions. The government will introduce nominees into the Diet, and the prime minister will appoint them as commission members after approval at both the Upper and Lower Houses. Goshi Hosono, Minister for the Restoration from and Prevention of Nuclear Accident, is effectively in charge of choosing candidates.
The bill to create the nuclear regulatory commission, which was passed into law in June, stipulates that the chairman and commissioners shall have “a superb personality, as well as expertise, experience and great insight for ensuring safety in the use of nuclear energy.” There is also a provision that no employees or directors of nuclear operators or nuclear groups shall take the position of chairman or commissioner, although the law does not stipulate the treatment of those who had been in such an occupation.
The selection rules that the government adopted on July 3 thus added a new rule: those who worked for a nuclear operator or group during the latest three years before assuming chairman or commissioner shall be excluded from the candidate list. Also excluded are those who personally received a reward exceeding 500,000 yen in a year from any one nuclear operator during the latest three years.
