A report by the investigation committee looking into data falsification at Chubu Electric Power's Hamaoka nuclear plant is expected to be released within this month. The report's focus is on how deeply successive management teams were involved in the misconduct, and it also points to failures in corporate governance. Depending on its contents, President Lin Xingu and Chairman Katsuno Tetsu could face questions over their management responsibility. In the Nuclear Regulation Authority's review aimed at restarting Hamaoka Units 3 and 4, the company came under suspicion of deliberately selecting and underestimating data related to the standard seismic ground motion. It set up the investigation committee in January to examine when the misconduct began and what motivated it. The falsification is believed to have been carried out from around 2012, and some are calling for Chairman Katsuno, who served as president from 2015 to 2020, to be held accountable. Despite multiple internal whistleblower reports from 2018 onward, the misconduct did not stop. Even after the Nuclear Regulation Authority began its investigation in May 2025, work believed to be aimed at concealing the misconduct, including overwriting data, was discovered. Whether senior management was involved is also a key focus of the investigation.
Chubu Electric Power Company,IncorporatedInvestigation into data falsification at Hamaoka nuclear plant may implicate management and delay restart.
