Greetings from the Chair of the JSME Power Energy Systems Division

Abstract

Hitoshi AsanoI would like to take this opportunity to say New Year's greetings to the readers, reviewers, and editors of ASME Journal of Nuclear Engineering and Radiation Science as a Chair of the Power and Energy Systems Division (PESD) of the Japan Society of Mechanical Engineers (JSME).Last year was not necessarily a good year. Russian's invasion of Ukraine, which began in February 2022, threatens the world order toward peace and has led to energy insecurity, especially in Europe. The energy situation is becoming more complex. Energy prices are skyrocketing, and further energy saving is required. This situation is serious in Japan, where energy self-sufficiency is quite low, less than 10%, partly due to the weak yen. We must also move toward carbon neutrality. Japan has set a goal of reducing greenhouse gas emissions by 46% from 2013 levels by 2030 and achieving full carbon neutrality by 2050. To achieve this goal, it is planned to increase the share of nuclear power in the power source composition from 9% in 2019 to 20 to 22% in 2030. This goal is not an easy one to achieve given the public opposition to it since the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant accident following the Great East Japan Earthquake, but the effective operation of nuclear power plants is essential. We should promote safety measures for nuclear power generation, train engineers, and widely send our achievements on the latest research and development. The ASME Journal of Nuclear Engineering and Radiation Science is a very important and powerful scientific journal to share the latest research developments in the field of nuclear engineering and radiation science. We can believe that the ASME NERS continues to contribute to the development in nuclear power engineering.