Tokaimura nuclear accidents

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The Tokaimura nuclear accidents were two nuclear incidents which occurred near the village of Tōkai, Ibaraki Prefecture, Japan. The first accident occurred on 11 March 1997, producing an explosion after an experimental batch of solidified nuclear waste caught fire at the Power Reactor and Nuclear Fuel Development Corporation (PNC) radioactive waste bituminisation facility. Over twenty people were exposed to radiation. The second was a criticality accident at a separate fuel reprocessing facility belonging to Japan Nuclear Fuel Conversion Co. (JCO) on 30 September 1999 due to improper handling of liquid uranium fuel for an experimental reactor. The incident spanned approximately 20 hours and resulted in the deaths of two workers; of 436 people whose doses of radiation exposure were evaluated, none exceeded annual regulatory dosage limits. It was determined that the accidents were due to inadequate regulatory oversight, lack of appropriate safety culture and inadequate worker training and...

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