Japan Nuclear Regulator Calls Falsification of Earthquake Data Serious

2026-01-07 06:14:25

(MENAFN) Japan's atomic safety watchdog delivered harsh condemnation Wednesday against a central Japan utility accused of doctoring earthquake records at a shuttered nuclear facility, according to domestic media sources.

Nuclear Regulation Authority (NRA) chairman Shinsuke Yamanaka addressed the violation during a formal session, declaring "this is a case of fabricated inspection data that directly relates to safety, and it is clearly a misconduct," a state broadcaster confirmed.

The controversy surrounds reactors 3 and 4 at the Hamaoka atomic station in Shizuoka Prefecture, operated by Chubu Electric Power Co., which had been pursuing regulatory clearance for their reactivation.

Media will halt its review of the Hamaoka facility's restart application, Yamanaka announced.

The oversight agency will weigh during its upcoming Jan. 14 session whether to demand a formal report from Chubu Electric or authorize its administrative team to launch an on-site investigation, media accounts stated.

Chubu Electric revealed Monday that staff members may have deliberately cherry-picked seismic scenario information during structural integrity evaluations at the installation to satisfy regulatory requirements for restart authorization.

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