WANO and the NEA host a Country Specific Safety Culture Forum in Japan
Announcement
15 December 2023
WANO and the OECD Nuclear Energy Agency (NEA) jointly hosted a Country Specific Safety Culture Forum for Japan, which took place from 14 - 15 December 2023 in Tokyo. The Forum was organised in collaboration with the Japan Nuclear Regulation Authority (NRA) and Japan’s Federation of Electric Power Companies (FEPC).
It was the fourth Forum which WANO has organised with the NEA and the first to be conducted in Asia. WANO’s mission is to maximise the safety and reliability of nuclear power plants. A key part of its mission is a focus on nuclear safety culture, which WANO defines as the core values and behaviours resulting from a collective commitment by leaders and individuals to emphasise safety over competing goals, to ensure protection of people and the environment.
The Forum was arranged against the background that nuclear facilities are operated by people – and that individuals are heavily influenced by the culture of the country in which the facility is located. Gaining a better understanding of how national culture influences safety culture was the basis of the Forum, which has been previously hosted in Sweden, Finland, Canada, and now in Japan.
Throughout the Forum, attendees explored the unique way that the national culture of Japan influences the behaviours of nuclear workers in that country. The Forum offered a variety of perspectives, including those gained by interviews with Japanese workers at a variety of levels and locations, and the observations of international nuclear professionals who participated in the Forum.
It also featured an interactive set of discussions and group work between participants to gain valuable insights into how a country’s culture can affect nuclear safety culture. The Forum enabled them to then discuss how gaining a better understanding of this aspect can help drive performance to maximise safety at plants and facilities throughout Japan.
For more information on this and previous events, please visit: Nuclear Energy Agency (NEA) - Country-Specific Safety Culture Forum (CSSCF) (oecd-nea.org)