Masashi Goto, a former Toshiba engineer involved in reactor containment design, speaks to RECCESSARY about safety concerns surrounding Japan’s nuclear reactor restarts. (Photo: Wendy Lo)
Fifteen years after the 2011 Fukushima nuclear disaster, nuclear power is once again being viewed by many countries as a source of stable electricity. But for Masashi Goto, a former Toshiba nuclear engineer who worked on reactor containment vessel design, many of the safety concerns exposed by Fukushima remain unresolved. After retiring, Goto became a vocal critic of nuclear policy and continues to question the safety assumptions behind reactor restarts.
Unlock the full article to explore three key takeaways:
- As Japan pushes to restart the Kashiwazaki-Kariwa nuclear plant and nuclear debates intensify in Taiwan, nuclear engineer Masashi Goto warns that similar reactor designs in both countries could mean similar risks.
- Fifteen years after Fukushima, Goto argues the disaster exposed a deeper problem: even multiple layers of nuclear safety systems can fail at the same time.
- Japan’s post-Fukushima nuclear reforms may contain a critical blind spot, as regulators increasingly focus on managing core meltdowns.