October 26, 2014
Panel likely to drop plan to check nuclear workers
http://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/english/news/nuclear.html
Oct. 26, 2014 - Updated 05:21 UTC+1
A panel to Japan's nuclear regulator will likely shelve proposals for a system of criminal record checks and other screenings of workers at nuclear facilities designed to prevent terrorism. Facility operators will likely run background checks instead.
The panel of the Nuclear Regulation Authority has been studying the logistics of checking the personal information of workers, including criminal records held by the government and financial debt.
Similar systems are in use in other countries. A system was proposed for Japan as a way of preventing terrorists and collaborators from entering nuclear facilities.
Panel members agreed that the operators of facilities, such as utilities, should run background checks on workers based on worker statements.
Some members pointed out the limitations of a system based on voluntary declarations.
But the panel agreed that introducing a system for vetting workers' criminal records and other information will require law revisions and cautious discussions.
The panel now plans to study which items will be declared by workers and submit a proposal to the Nuclear Regulation Authority as early as January.
