15 Years Since the Fukushima Daiichi Accident

Fifteen years have passed since the accident at the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant. On March 11, 2011, a powerful earthquake and subsequent tsunami caused one of the most significant accidents in the history of global civil nuclear energy since the Chornobyl disaster in 1986. It demonstrated the severe consequences that can arise from a combination of extreme natural phenomena and technological factors.

For the past fifteen years, the plant operator, Tokyo Electric Power Company (TEPCO), along with the Japanese government, the national regulator and international organisations — including the IAEA — has been implementing a large-scale programme for remediation and decommissioning. This programme includes stabilising the damaged reactors, removing fuel from the spent fuel pools, preparing for the retrieval of the fuel debris from the reactors and managing the contaminated water.

In parallel, efforts are underway to restore life in affected communities. Residency restrictions are gradually being lifted and some residents have returned home. Local authorities and state institutions are implementing programmes to support the population and recover infrastructure. Information and educational initiatives aimed at raising awareness of radiation and promoting safety among students and young people have also become a vital area of focus.

Thanks to the support of the Government of Japan, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Japan, and the IAEA, Tetiana Verbytska, Uatom.org project manager, and Alona Yarushevska, website editor, had the opportunity to visit the Fukushima Daiichi NPP site and witness the implementation of these measures firsthand. These measures involve not just individual technical tasks, but also a comprehensive system of actions, including engineering solutions, continuous radiation monitoring and ensuring occupational safety for personnel. The on-site visit vividly demonstrated the scale and complexity of a process that has spanned over a decade.

During this time, the plant has transitioned from an emergency response to systematically executing complex engineering challenges planned decades in advance. The accident has been the subject of detailed analysis by the international nuclear community, resulting in a revision of approaches to nuclear safety, emergency preparedness and regulation.

For Ukraine, which has survived the Chornobyl disaster and is now facing the occupation of the Chornobyl Exclusion Zone and the Zaporizhzhia NPP, as well as the regular shelling of nuclear sites and overflights of missiles and drones near Ukrainian NPPs since the start of the full-scale invasion, this experience is particularly crucial. It highlights that risks to nuclear facilities can arise not only from natural or technical factors, but also from military action.

In this context, nuclear safety has once again become a global challenge. Therefore, the lessons learned must form the basis not only of historical analysis, but also of practical solutions aimed at preventing future nuclear accidents. Ensuring nuclear safety requires continuous technological and regulatory improvement, international accountability, and unconditional adherence to the inviolability principle of nuclear facilities.

Editorial Board of Uatom.org