Recommendation to ASEAN nuclear development based on lessons learnt from the Fukushima nuclear accident

The disastrous circumstances in the aftermath of a massive event like Fukushima nuclear accident is not unique to Japan. The more exertion to prevent the next Fukushima nuclear accident is required not to reiterate the similar failure. The countries where nuclear power is potentially introduced in future need to study the lessons learnt from the Fukushima nuclear accident, which would help to highlight the critical point for the future nuclear operation. However, the scholarly application of the lessons from the Fukushima nuclear accident to such countries, in particular ASEAN Member States (AMS), has yet to be fully discussed. As such, this study first conducts the diachronic analysis of various energy and nuclear policies in Japan before and after the Fukushima nuclear accident and then identifies the three major lessons and challenges, that is; nuclear regulatory institutional reform, development of stringent regulation and public engagement in policy making. Finally, the current nuclear situation in Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippine and Thailand in ASEAN is analyzed to extract the critical aspect of nuclear installation in AMS and to provide strategic implications on the basis of the identified lessons learnt from the Fukushima nuclear accident.