Source: Kyodo News

Forging a Safer Nuclear Future for JapanThe current nuclear crisis is, of course, one element of a broader tragedy unfolding in Japan. Right now, many Japanese are looking for sustenance, shelter and, most poignantly, loved ones; energy policy is hardly foremost on their minds. However, as Japan rebuilds, a debate about nuclear power is inevitable.

About 30 percent of Japan's electricity comes from nuclear power. Turning off this capacity is realistically not an option.

However, nuclear power can and should be made safer. Twice in four years, Japanese nuclear power plants have been hit by bigger disasters than they were designed to handle. On July 16, 2007, a magnitude-6.8 earthquake shook the Kashiwazaki-Kariwa Nuclear Power Plant in Niigata Prefecture beyond its design limit. Fortunately, the safety systems worked and only non-critical systems were damaged.

Although the outcome of the crisis at the Fukushima Daiichi Power Plant will be immeasurably worse, its cause was similar to the much smaller accident at Kashiwazaki-Kariwa: neither plant was designed to deal with the forces of nature they were subject to. From the moment the massive tsunami overwhelmed the sea walls at Fukushima Daiichi and knocked out the backup diesel generators that were providing power to the cooling systems, reactor operators were always going to be faced with monumental problems.

Nuclear reactors can be designed to withstand disasters. But, the safety of even the most modern and sophisticated reactor cannot be guaranteed if it is certified to withstand a magnitude-8 earthquake and is hit by a magnitude-9. The 2007 and 2011 earthquakes demonstrate that this problem must be urgently addressed.

The Japanese government should immediately commission a panel of independent scientific experts to examine the ''design basis'' for Japanese reactors. They should be tasked with assessing the risk of any Japanese nuclear reactor being struck by a bigger disaster than it is capable of withstanding.

They must consider the full range of possibilities: natural disasters such as earthquakes, tsunamis, floods and hurricanes, and man-made events such as airplane strikes and terrorism. And, most importantly, they should be tasked with recommending steps to address whatever deficiencies they identify. The Japanese people deserve no less.