Japan's nuclear regulator pushes back antiterrorism deadline, extending reactor operations

Japan’s Nuclear Regulation Authority issued a draft amendment that relocates the five-year deadline for constructing antiterrorism infrastructure from the planning and construction phase to the moment a nuclear plant begins operating. The change, presented as a regulatory easing, means plants that missed the original schedule can continue running, notably allowing the Onagawa No. 2 reactor in Miyagi to operate through December 2029 rather than being forced to close by August 2028.

Similar extensions apply to Kashiwazaki-Kariwa Unit 6, now due by April 2031, and Shimane Unit 2, now due by January 2030. Of the twelve reactors with such facilities, only Oi Unit 4 met the initial deadline, prompting criticism that the authority is yielding to power companies. The mandated antiterrorism systems—comprising control rooms, pumps and related equipment—were introduced after the March 2011 Fukushima disaster to counter scenarios like targeted aerial attacks. Plants failing to install them by the revised dates would still face shutdown.