[NukeNet] Cover-up of Uncontrolled Criticality Incident

[Citizens' Nuclear Information Center]

The article below in today's Asahi Shimbun newspaper covers the most 
spectacular example in a growing list of malpractices and cover-ups at 
nuclear power plants in Japan that have been exposed in the last few 
months. (Articles for Nuke Info Tokyo will be uploaded onto CNIC's web 
site sometime in the next week or two.)

During a periodic inspection 3 control rods at the Shika-1 nuclear 
power plant (BWR, 530 MW) dropped out, leading to a 15 minute 
uncontrolled criticality incident. At the time, the heads of both the 
pressure vessel and the containment vessel had been removed.

16 March 2007
No report given after reactor hit critical state
The Asahi Shimbun
http://www.asahi.com/english/Herald-asahi/TKY200703150280.html

Citizens' Nuclear Information Center
3F Kotobuki Bdg, 1-58-15, Higashi-Nakano, Nakano-ku, Tokyo 164-0003
Phone: 81-3-5330-9520
Fax: 81-3-5330-9530
http://cnic.jp/english/
cnic at nifty.com