Policy process on fast reactor development in National Security

2022 Fiscal Year Final Research Report

• Project/Area Number: 19K20874
• Project/Area Number (Other): 18H05672 (2018)
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Research Activity Start-up
• Allocation Type: Multi-year Fund (2019); Single-year Grants (2018)
• Review Section: 0106:Political science and related fields
• Research Institution: Japan Atomic Energy Agency
• Principal Investigator: Koito Yuko 国立研究開発法人日本原子力研究開発機構, 高速炉・新型炉研究開発部門 戦略・計画室, 技術・技能職 (80827080)
• Project Period (FY): 2018-08-24 – 2023-03-31
• Keywords: 高速炉 / 原子力 / 政策過程 / 安全保障 / 史料調査・収集

Outline of Final Research Achievements

I did a survey of interviews with persons and others involved in the research and development of the prototype fast breeder reactor Monju, as well as a survey of administrative documents from the relevant ministries. It became clear that the engineers had no ambition or intention to divert the highly purified plutonium produced to nuclear weapons, and were developing proliferation-resistant nuclear fuel cycle technology in response to social concerns about the possible diversion of the highly purified plutonium produced to nuclear weapons.
Then I analysed the policy-making structure. In the case of fast reactor development, which takes a long time, it was found that the policy-making structure could itself be transformed by political impacts, such as a change of government. As for the results of the domestic interview survey, a database was compiled and made publicly available to contribute to the development of the study.

Free Research Field

安全保障

Academic Significance and Societal Importance of the Research Achievements

今日まで開発が続いているものの未だ社会実装に至っていない高速炉について、その政策過程から示唆を得て今後の政策形成に活かすことを目指して、事実関係を整理した。また、研究の裾野を広げることを目指して、技術者へのオーラルヒストリーに初めて着手し、文書化されていない技術者の開発思想や哲学を記録に残した。