Nuclear Power Reactor Development in Japan

Abstract

Based on the current situation in Japan that nearly 40 LWRs (PWR/BWR nearly 50/50) have been operating with excellent performance; the number of un-intended shutdown is the smallest, leaker fuel is practically zero and thus coolant activity is the lowest in the world, they proceed to introduce advanced LWR (ALWR) of 1,300 MWe in early '90s, followed by the further improvement into higher duty LWR (so-called next generation LWR). National program for advanced thermal reactor (ATR) and FBR development has been steadily performed; a demonstration reactor of ATR and a prototype of FBR are under construction, which are to be put into operation by middle 1990s. Lately-revised high temperature gas cooled reactor program for process that generation is put into practice in 1989 and its experimental reactor to be used also for irradiation facility will be completed 7 years later. Smaller-size LWR and so-called «inherent safety type reactor» have also been interested. Overview on those activities are presented