Published on July 15, 2019.
Through an essay by Matsuoka Toyohito published in the monthly magazine WiLL, this article introduces the reality of China’s state-led development of nuclear-power human resources, nuclear exports, and next-generation reactor technology. While Japan faces concerns over the depletion of nuclear talent and the interruption of technological succession, China is mobilizing universities, research institutes, and state-owned enterprises in its effort to reach the top of the world in nuclear technology.

July 15, 2019.
The reality is that China is making a nationwide effort to develop human resources on a completely different scale from Japan, where the depletion of nuclear-power personnel and the interruption of technological succession are causes for concern.
The following is a chapter published on July 31, 2018.
It is a continuation of the essay titled “China’s Ambition to Conquer the World Through Nuclear Power,” published in this month’s issue of the monthly magazine WiLL by Matsuoka Toyohito, Director of Research Department I at the Japan Electric Power Information Center.
Readers who have read this far should feel anger and think that it is no exaggeration to say that the anti-nuclear-power reporting and anti-restart reporting by The Asahi Shimbun and NHK were also intended to benefit China, and that it is no exaggeration to say that they were traitorous and treasonous reporting.
The opposition-party political operators, scholars, so-called cultural figures, so-called human-rights lawyers, and so-called civic groups who went along with them and carried out movements opposing nuclear power and opposing the restart of nuclear power plants are, in reality, people about whom it is no exaggeration at all to say that they are equivalent to Chinese agents seeking to dominate the world through nuclear power.
Human-resource development on an entirely different scale.
In Japan, there are three university departments whose names include “nuclear power,” nine graduate-school majors, and the number of enrolled students is said to be about 750.
In China, in response to the rapid increase in new projects, human-resource development is proceeding at a rapid pace.
There are 44 universities with departments related to nuclear-power majors, and according to a report by the China Nuclear Energy Association, about 10,000 students are enrolled.
Including research institutions, about 3,000 people are sent into the nuclear-power industry every year.
Nuclear-power operators are actively engaged in training operators, are developing training simulators, and in the central control rooms of major power plants, one can see many operator candidates from power plants under construction being received for resident training.
To introduce examples from well-known engineering universities, at Tsinghua University, the top technical university, the Institute of Nuclear and New Energy Technology, or INET, was established in 1960, with 500 faculty members and more than 200 graduate students enrolled.
INET is also responsible for research and development of high-temperature gas-cooled reactors.
With funding from CNNC, Tsinghua University provides a nuclear-technology education program for 60 people each year and an international exchange program for 30 people each year, and has those who complete the programs take employment at CNNC.
Shanghai Jiao Tong University established a nuclear-engineering division in 1958, and in 2006 established the School of Nuclear Science and Engineering, or SNSE.
The school has 50 faculty members, 150 undergraduate students, 60 master’s-course students, and 50 doctoral-course students.
The university participates in SNPTC’s CAP1400 research.
Harbin Engineering University established a nuclear-engineering division in 1958 and, in 2005, established the College of Nuclear Science and Technology.
It has 113 faculty members, 1,063 undergraduate students, 235 master’s-course students, and 62 doctoral-course students.
The reality is that China is making a nationwide effort to develop human resources on a completely different scale from Japan, where the depletion of nuclear-power personnel and the interruption of technological succession are causes for concern.
China’s nuclear-power operators are not private electric power companies, but integrated enterprises that consistently handle everything from power generation to reactor research and development, design, and construction, and with the political and financial backing of the Belt and Road Initiative, the broad economic-zone concept proposed by President Xi Jinping, they have secured an advantageous position in the field of overseas exports as well.
Already, in addition to constructing Hualong One in Pakistan, China is also moving forward with its introduction in the United Kingdom and Argentina.
Furthermore, China has concluded nuclear-power agreements with many countries, including African countries, and is steadily laying the groundwork for future nuclear-power-plant exports.
In addition to the development and construction of third-generation reactors, beginning with the AP1000, development and construction are also proceeding for next-generation reactors such as high-temperature gas reactors, fast reactors, and small modular reactors, and China is already beginning to stand at the top of the world in nuclear-technology development.
On the other hand, five new reactors began operation in 2014, eight in 2015, and five in 2016 as well.
Because the number of operating nuclear power plants is increasing at an extremely rapid pace, a shortage of veteran operators has become an important issue.
Furthermore, there are also safety-related discussions such as water contamination in the event of an accident, and it is necessary to recognize the reality that siting in inland areas is not progressing.