The Japan Atomic Energy Agency (日本原子力研究開発機構 Nihon genshiryoku kenkyū kaihatsu kikō , JAEA) was formed October 1, 2005 by a merger of two previous semi-governmental organizations. While it inherited the activities of both PNC and JAERI, it also inherited the nickname of JAERI, "Genken" 原研, an abbreviated word for "nuclear research".
On April 10, 2007, JAEA officially joined the GNEP alliance.[2] The other members in the alliance are Areva, Washington Group International and BWX. It is expected that the experience gained from the Rokkasho centrifuge enrichment plant will be a key contribution from JAEA.
The following is an incomplete list of its activities, sorted by location.
JAEA has several facilities located in Tōkai, Ibaraki, which was the first center in Japan for nuclear research. Currently, JAEA has expanded to several other sites in the Ibaraki Prefecture as well as all of Japan.
JAEA has another head base in Tsuruga, Fukui.It has fast breeder reactor center and R&D center.
This center is located in Ōarai, Ibaraki, close to, but not at the same site as Tokai-mura. It houses the Jōyō reactor, the Japan Materials Testing Reactor, the new HTTR reactor, an environmental reactivity monitoring center, and a children's museum.
The NFI is located in Naka, Ibaraki and does work complimenting the ITER project. Of notable significance is the JT-60 large tokamak device.
This is a small uranium refining and conversion plant, as well as a small centrifuge enrichment demonstration plant located in Kamisaibara, Okayama. The center deals with front-end issues of the nuclear fuel cycle.[3]
The Aomori Research and Development Center is spread out over Rokkasho, Aomori and Mutsu, Aomori. English Site The Rokkasho site does work with fusion research, notably a fusion reactor design research institute, a particle accelerator, and a materials irradiation test facility. This site works a great deal with the Naka Fusion Institute and it is hoped that it will someday be the location for the DEMO reactor. The facilities in Mutsu include a museum, an ocean monitoring facility, and radioactive waste management.
JAEA also co-operates and provides support for the activities of Japan Nuclear Fuel Limited with their reprocessing facility and Uranium enrichment facility plans.
Abbreviated, KPSI, this is a collection of two separate locations. Official English Site
JAEA runs the part of the Kansai Science Center in Umemidai Kizu-cho Kizugawa, Kyoto (京都府木津地区).It has Advanced Photon Research Center, Neutron Biology Research Center.
This location houses the SPring-8 synchrotron radiation facility. This facility used to work with RIKEN, but now operates by itself.
This is located in Takasaki, Gunma. Its Department of Advanced Radiation Technology offers an ion irradiation facility with numerous particle accelerators, electron beam accelerators, an ion implanter and several Cobalt-60 sources. In addition to this, a number of research groups operate here. The facilities are open to a number of universities and research institutes.
The Horonobe URL carries out research and development on geoscientific study and on geological disposal for high-level radioactive waste. It is expected that this site will become Japan's national Deep geological repository for nuclear waste.
This is located in Tōnō, in the Gifu Prefecture.
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