Japan's Economy, Trade and Industry Ministry (METI) and other entities on Wednesday established the Japan Atomic Human Resources Consortium, a public-private body aimed at fostering talent for the nuclear power industry.

As efforts to restart nuclear power plants gain momentum nationwide, the government and major electric power companies are looking to collaborate and secure the necessary workers.

The consortium includes 84 companies and organizations, including METI, the Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology Ministry, the Secretariat of the Nuclear Regulation Authority, Tokyo Electric Power Company Holdings Inc., Kansai Electric Power Co. and Toshiba Corp.

It will analyze whether fields such as nuclear power plant construction and welding have a shortage or surplus of personnel, collaboratively develop a roadmap for workforce development and explore concrete measures for securing the necessary workforce.

The Seventh Strategic Energy Plan, approved by the Cabinet in 2025, says Japan will maximize the use of nuclear power. In July this year, the government adopted a policy of replacing about two to five nuclear reactors by the 2040s and about 11 to 14 reactors by the 2050s. However, there are concerns about a shortage of personnel for operating and constructing nuclear power plants, among other work.

"Nuclear power is a broad-based industry supported by a diverse range of specialized professionals," said Yoshifumi Murase, commissioner for the Natural Resources and Energy Agency, at an inaugural meeting at METI on Wednesday. "I hope this (consortium) will serve as a coordinating body for medium- to long-term efforts through collaboration among industry, the government and academia."

----

This article is from The Yomiuri Shimbun. Neither Dow Jones Newswires, MarketWatch, Barron's nor The Wall Street Journal were involved in the creation of this content.

YDN-M0000238367-1