The symposium, attended by approximately 600 people both in person and online, addressed measures to maintain and strengthen nuclear supply chains, including the pursuit of business overseas by domestic nuclear-related industries and the problem of business succession (i.e., the survival of companies once their leaders leave), as well as support for human resources (HR) development.
METI Minister MUTO Yoji, in a video message shown at the opening of the symposium, started out by referring to the national Seventh Strategic Energy Plan, approved by the Cabinet last month (February). He commented that the Japanese government was placing top priority on such issues as the restart of existing reactors and the extension of their operating lifetimes. Emphasizing the significance of the symposium, Muto also noted the seriousness of securing supply chains and developing HR in order to develop next-generation advanced reactors domestically.
This was the third Nuclear Supply Chain Symposium to have been held, the first having taken place the year before last (i.e., in 2023) after METI announced the establishment of the Nuclear Supply Chain Platform (NSCP). The second symposium, held last year (2024), was attended by Director General R. M. Grossi of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), who was visiting Japan at the time. His presence highlighted the degree to which the symposium has been drawing attention overseas.
Since creating the NSCP, METI has been actively implementing support measures for the following activities:
- developing HR
- organizing overseas business missions for domestic suppliers
- hosting seminars and gatherings to exchange opinions and discuss issues
- conducting interviews with nuclear-related companies (about 400 so far)
After the initial speech, a session was held at the symposium under the title of “Present and Future of the Nuclear Industry,” featuring speeches by Professor SAITO Takumi (Graduate School of Engineering, University of Tokyo), who chairs ANRE’s Working Group on Advanced Reactors, and Vice Chairman SASAKI Toshiharu of the Federation of Electric Power Companies of Japan (FEPC).
Both men, each speaking from his unique perspective, stressed the importance of predictability for private companies: namely, the importance of the government’s adopting policies that would let firms make more definite plans for the future.
They were followed by a panel discussion—facilitated by KONDO Hiroko, CEO of Matrix K, a business consulting and research firm—in which panelists from major manufacturers, as well as small and medium-sized supply-chain industries, discussed the following issues:
- activities to develop advanced next-generation reactors
- countermeasures against supply disruptions
- international collaboration
- securing and developing HR
The panel also included directors from both METI and the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology (MEXT), each of whom pointed out the importance of getting ministries and agencies to coordinate their activities.
Besides the speakers and panel discussion, there was a poster presentation at this year’s symposium.
In addition to the major Japanese manufacturers working on the development of advanced reactors, this year’s Nuclear Supply Chain Symposium featured the participation of small and medium-sized industries engaged in manufacturing the valves, piping, and other components essential to the soundness of nuclear plants. Those smaller companies emphasized the particular strengths that they could enlist when pursuing business overseas.
