A computing error caused officials to overstate the amount of missing plutonium at a Japanese nuclear fuel reprocessing plant by almost 150 kilograms, the Japan Times reported today (see GSN, Jan. 29).

The missing amount is 59 kilograms, not 206 kilograms as was earlier reported in January.  Officials said the recalculation removed the possibility that the plutonium had been taken.

“There is no fear that plutonium was removed and taken outside; there is also no fear that plutonium was lost,” Japanese officials said.

Tokyo reported the recalculation to the International Atomic Energy Agency (Japan Times, Apr. 2).

“The IAEA remains confident in its conclusion that no nuclear material has been diverted from the facility.  This conclusion is based on a range of activities under the NPT [Nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty] safeguards agreement between the agency and Japan, as well as under the Additional Protocol to that agreement which gives the agency broad access to nuclear fuel cycle-related information and locations,” the agency said.  “These corrections have been accepted by the IAEA as being consistent with its verification data,” the statement added (IAEA release, Apr. 1).

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