Japan Nuclear Regulator Drafts 3-Day Shelter-in-Place Guidelines

Tokyo, Oct. 18 (Jiji Press)--Japan's Nuclear Regulation Authority has drafted guidelines calling for people to shelter in place for about three days in the event of an accident at a nearby nuclear power plant, it was learned Friday.

The draft also states that the central government will decide whether to lift a shelter-in-place order or switch it to an evacuation order.

The NRA plans to draw up a report on new guidelines by the end of March 2025 after hearing opinions from related local governments.

The current guidelines encourage residents within 5 to 30 kilometers of a nuclear power plant to shelter in place to avoid exposure to radiation if radioactive materials are expected to spread following a serious accident at the plant. Still, they do not specify the length of the shelter-in-place period.

The envisioned three-day period is based on the government's basic disaster prevention plan, which calls for staying at home for three days with stockpiled goods.

[Copyright The Jiji Press, Ltd.]