German-Japanese Symposium on Technological and Educational Resources on the Decommissioning of Nuclear Facilities

Markus Schuermann, Chief Operating Officer of the German Chamber of Industry and Commerce in Japan and Representative of the DWIH Tokyo, and Dr. Ingo Karsten, German Consul General for Osaka-Kobe, welcomed the guests and briefly introduced the topic of the symposium in their welcome addresses. Afterwards, Professor Dr. Antonio Hurtado, Director of the Institute of Power Engineering and Head of the Chair of Hydrogen and Nuclear Energy at the Technical University of Dresden, and Professor Dr. Hajimu Yamana, Vice Director of the International Research Institute for Nuclear Decommissioning (IRID) and professor emeritus of Kyoto University, held the keynote speeches, where Professor Dr. Hurtado spoke about “Competence and Education in Nuclear Technology in Germany”, whereas Professor Dr. Yamana introduced the “Energy Policy of Japan and the Decommissioning of Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Station” to the audience.

The symposium and the discussions were hosted by Professor Dr. Masayoshi Uno, Vice Director of the Research Institute of Nuclear Engineering at the University of Fukui, and Dr. Anton Philipp Anthofer, research associate at the Chair of Hydrogen and Nuclear Energy at the Technical University of Dresden. It consisted of four thematic sessions: Strategies of Nuclear Dismantling and Decontamination, Planning and Safety Technologies, Dismantling and Decontamination, and Waste Management, Conditioning and Final Disposal. During these sessions, 15 experts from Japan and Germany presented cutting-edge research results and innovative technologies. Discussions after each thematic session allowed the audience to express their opinion and address further questions to the speakers.

13 companies and organizations introduced themselves and their work at a poster exhibition during the symposium, which draw strong attention during the coffee breaks and served as a starting point for further discussion between the participants and the company representatives.

20 participants in the symposium further visited the Fukushima Daiichi Power Plant as well as three additional nuclear facilities located in the prefectures of Kyoto and Fukui. The group was mainly made up of researchers and technicians from Germany and took advantage of this unique opportunity to discuss present tasks and future co-operation with their Japanese counterparts.

The symposium was followed by a networking party, where the participants from industry and science talked further about the symposium and laid the basis for future exchange and cooperation in a friendly and relaxed atmosphere. This brought the well-received and successful symposium to its end.