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Japan Requests Hitachiomiya City in Ibaraki Prefecture to Conduct Literature Survey for High-Level Radioactive Waste Disposal Site

Japan's Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry (METI) on August 31 requested Hitachiomiya City in Ibaraki Prefecture to conduct a literature survey, as the first step in siting a final disposal facility for high-level radioactive waste generated from nuclear power plant operations. If Hitachiomiya City agrees, it will become the fifth municipality in Japan to accept such a literature survey, and the second time the Japanese government has proactively requested a survey from a local government, following Minamitorishima in Ogasawara Village, Tokyo. On the same day, Takashi Kume, Vice Commissioner of Japan's Agency for Natural Resources and Energy, visited the Hitachiomiya City government and submitted the survey request to Mayor Sadanori Suzuki. Suzuki stated that he personally takes a positive stance toward accepting the literature survey, and noted that the city faces issues such as rapid population decline and a weak local economy, adding that if the area has favorable geological conditions, participating in the national geological disposal policy would be of "significant importance." He said he would make a decision after hearing the views of the city assembly, with the matter possibly being discussed at the regular assembly meeting as early as September.

2026-09-01

Northeast Regional Office of the Ministry of Ecology and Environment Conducts Research on Radiation Risk Prevention and Control in the Scrap Metal Recycling and Smelting Industry

To strengthen radiation risk prevention and control across the entire chain of the scrap metal recycling and smelting industry and guide young cadres to conduct research and tackle challenges at the grassroots level, the Northeast Regional Office of Nuclear and Radiation Safety Supervision of the Ministry of Ecology and Environment (hereinafter referred to as the Northeast Regional Office) recently conducted special research at scrap metal resource recycling and steel smelting enterprises as well as customs ports. This research comprehensively mapped out the sources of scrap metal recycling, supply destinations, and the current status of radioactive monitoring management in the processing and sorting stages; focused on verifying the effectiveness of radiation monitoring requirements implementation at steel smelting enterprises, and meticulously examined the monitoring point deployment and control measures at key stages such as raw material entry, production process connection, and product shipment; further clarified the import and export radioactive monitoring management procedures, coordination and linkage working mechanisms, and the response and handling of abnormal events; and conducted in-depth exchanges and discussions with relevant units on some issues identified during the research.

2026-09-01

CNNC Headway's 13C-Urea Synthesis Control Method Patent Wins China Patent Excellence Award

On August 28, the China National Intellectual Property Administration officially released the decision on the 26th China Patent Award, and CNNC Headway's invention patent "A 13C-Urea Synthesis Control Method" won the China Patent Excellence Award. This patented technology addresses key technical bottlenecks in the batch production of carbon [13C]-urea API, establishing a set of synthesis control methods that provide technical support for the large-scale and stable production of the relevant API. The application of this technology helps enhance the self-sufficiency capability of the domestic urea [13C] breath diagnostic industry chain. CNNC Headway has long been deeply engaged in the breath diagnostic field, with sustained investment in innovative R&D, quality control, clinical adaptation, and industry chain layout...

2026-09-01

Manur Nuclear Power Produces Domestically Heaviest Slender Withdrawal-Type ESR Ingot

On August 30, 2026, the 60t withdrawal station of the 150-ton-class atmosphere-protected electroslag remelting (ESR) furnace at Yantai Taihai Manur Nuclear Power Equipment Co., Ltd. successfully produced a slender ESR ingot with a diameter of approximately 1270 mm and a weight of 61.2 tons, setting a new record for domestically manufactured special metallurgy equipment and consolidating the equipment foundation for the supply of high-end nuclear power forgings. The 61.2-ton slender withdrawal-type ESR ingot produced this time features a regular appearance and excellent surface quality. During the smelting process, equipment and operations including atmosphere protection, melt rate control, precise molten metal level control, fully automatic electrode exchange, and the complete withdrawal process remained stable and controllable. This ingot is currently the heaviest slender withdrawal-type ESR ingot produced in China, representing another critical leap in domestically manufactured large-tonnage withdrawal-type ESR equipment...

2026-08-31

China-led International Standard for Estimating RBE-Weighted Absorbed Dose from Acute Exposure Approved for Initiation

According to the International Organization for Standardization (ISO), the international standard ISO25600 "Estimation Method for RBE (Relative Biological Effectiveness)-Weighted Absorbed Dose from Acute Exposure," led by the China Institute of Atomic Energy, has been officially approved for initiation. This is a general methodology international standard led by China in the global field of nuclear and radiation emergency dose assessment. It can provide important support for the rapid estimation and evaluation of acute doses, decision-making on emergency protective actions, international notification and communication, as well as emergency training, exercises, and scientific research, helping to strengthen the scientific rigor and timeliness of global nuclear emergency response, and enhance response capability and standardization. Nuclear and radiation emergency response is a vital guarantee for the sustained and healthy development of the nuclear energy industry...

2026-08-31

Signed Article by Liu Mingsheng, Chairman and Party Secretary of State Power Investment Corporation (SPIC)

Seizing the High Ground of Future Energy, Accelerating the Pace of Green Transformation Liu Mingsheng, Chairman and Party Secretary of State Power Investment Corporation (SPIC) At present, a new round of technological revolution is converging historically with the green, low-carbon transformation of energy, and future industries are becoming a strategic battleground for reshaping the global competitive landscape. General Secretary Xi Jinping's series of important remarks on future industries, made from the strategic height of advancing the building of a strong nation and the great cause of national rejuvenation, provide important guidance for developing future industries, building a modern industrial system, and grasping the initiative in development. As the world's largest clean energy power generation enterprise, SPIC has always regarded the development of future industries as a strategic lever for safeguarding the nation's long-term energy security and winning the initiative in development...

2026-08-31

US Antares Selected for DOE Nuclear Energy Launch Pad Program

Antares has been selected for the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Nuclear Energy Launch Pad program. Led by the DOE Office of Nuclear Energy and the National Reactor Innovation Center (NRIC), the program aims to advance nuclear technologies from concept to commercial deployment. This selection further expands Antares' business footprint in Texas. Previously, the company was selected to deliver a microreactor to Joint Base San Antonio under the U.S. Air Force's Advanced Nuclear Power Facilities program. Antares CEO and co-founder Jordan Bramble stated that the reactor pilot program has accelerated the company's growth and...

2026-08-31

NMR Reveals Thermal Self-Organization in Resistive Switching of Organic Conductor by Japanese Team

A joint research team from Tokyo University of Science, the National Institute for Materials Science, and RIKEN in Japan recently used bulk-sensitive ¹H-NMR measurements to reveal the internal electronic state of the organic conductor (d7-DMe-DCNQI)2Cu during resistive switching. The study found that, in the switching state, the material does not form a uniform new electronic phase, but rather a coexistence of metallic and insulating phases within the material. Schematic of bulk-crystal ¹H-NMR measurements Resistive switching refers to the phenomenon in which a material's resistance changes significantly under an applied current or voltage, and has attracted attention in research on correlated electron systems, memory devices, and neuromorphic devices. Previous studies have mostly...

2026-08-31

U.S. Heavy-Ion Collision Research Suggests Protons and Neutrons May Not Be Just "Three Quarks"

The STAR Collaboration at the Relativistic Heavy Ion Collider (RHIC) at the U.S. Department of Energy's Brookhaven National Laboratory recently proposed, based on heavy-ion collision data studies, that baryons such as protons and neutrons may not be simply composed of three valence quarks, and that their baryon number may be more closely related to "baryon junctions" in the gluon field. The findings were published in the journal *Science*. In the traditional valence quark model, each quark is assigned a baryon number of 1/3, so baryons such as protons and neutrons, composed of three quarks, carry a baryon number of +1. However, this model is not a fundamental requirement of quantum chromodynamics (QCD). As early as the 1970s, alternative explanations had been proposed in the theoretical community; in 1996, Dmitri Kharzeev proposed a model suggesting that the baryon number is not necessarily carried by the quarks themselves, but may instead be concentrated at the Y-shaped junction formed by the gluon field—the "baryon junction."

2026-08-31

Two Projects of the National Natural Science Foundation of China Approved for the National Institute for Radiological Protection, China CDC

On August 26, the National Natural Science Foundation of China (NSFC) announced the review results of the centralized application projects for the fiscal year 2026. The National Institute for Radiological Protection, China CDC, was approved for two NSFC projects, with research directions covering radon exposure monitoring, radiological health, and screening of lung cancer-related biomarkers. Among the approved projects, the proposal titled "New Strategy for Radon Exposure Monitoring: Visualization and Mechanism Study of Adsorption-Detection Integrated Gold Nanoparticle Materials" submitted by Associate Researcher Song Yanchao received support from the Department of Mathematical and Physical Sciences; the proposal titled "Preliminary Study and Validation of Screening Lung Cancer-Related Biomarkers in Radon-Exposed Miners Based on Methylation Chips and RNA-seq" submitted by Assistant Researcher Zhang Pinhua received support from the Department of Health Sciences.

2026-08-31

Japanese Team Achieves Femtosecond Soft X-ray Hyperspectral Microscopy, Simultaneously Acquiring Spatial and Energy Information with Single Pulse

On August 21, the Japan Science and Technology Agency, RIKEN, and the University of Tokyo announced that a research team comprising Assistant Professor Yoko Takeo and Associate Professor Takashi Kimura from the Institute for Solid State Physics at the University of Tokyo, Assistant Professor Satoru Egawa from the Research Center for Advanced Science and Technology at the University of Tokyo, and Team Leader Makina Yabashi from the RIKEN SPring-8 Center, among others, successfully developed and implemented a femtosecond soft X-ray hyperspectral microscope. The findings were published on August 20 in the U.S. scientific journal *Optica*. This technology utilizes a single soft X-ray pulse from an X-ray free-electron laser (XFEL) to simultaneously acquire soft X-ray spectra transmitted through different positions of a sample, enabling...

2026-08-31

Japan Atomic Energy Agency discovers magnetic "strong-weak waves" in uranium semiconductor

The Japan Atomic Energy Agency announced on August 21 that its research team has discovered a special magnetic structure in the layered uranium semiconductor α-UTe3 (α-uranium tritelluride): the magnetism of uranium atoms not only alternates in opposite directions, but its magnetization intensity also periodically strengthens and weakens depending on the crystal position, forming a state resembling “strong-weak waves.” α-UTe3 is composed of uranium and tellurium atoms and belongs to van der Waals layered materials, where atomic layers are stacked through weak interlayer forces. Using high-quality α-UTe3 single crystals, the research team analyzed its low-temperature magnetic structure through resistivity, specific heat, and magnetization measurements, as well as nuclear magnetic resonance and single-crystal neutron diffraction techniques...

2026-08-31

First experiments at Russia's SKIF microfocus station to target "invisible" gold deposits and extraterrestrial particle research

On August 19, 2026, the microfocus station, one of the first-stage experimental stations of the Russian SKIF Collective Use Center, announced its initial experimental directions. The station will utilize synchrotron radiation-based analytical techniques to study the elemental composition and structural characteristics of objects, serving fields such as geology, geophysics, microelectronics, and materials science. At the SKIF opening ceremony, Russian President Vladimir Putin inspected the microfocus station. According to the presentation, the station's first experiments will focus on the exploration and extraction of hard-to-recover gold, platinum, rare earth elements, and oil reserves. Ore sample research is a critical step in the development of new mineral deposits. By determining the elemental composition of rocks, researchers can...

2026-08-31

Japan's J-PARC Uses Negative Muon Non-Destructive Analysis to Reveal Gold-Rich Surface Structure of Nagoya Castle's Golden Shachi Scales

A joint research team comprising the High Energy Accelerator Research Organization (KEK), the J-PARC Center, the Nagoya Castle Research Center, and the National Museum of Nature and Science, among others, used the negative muon beam at the J-PARC Materials and Life Science Experimental Facility (MLF) to conduct non-destructive depth analysis on seven surviving scales of the golden shachi (ornamental dolphin-tiger fish) on Nagoya Castle's keep, confirming that five of the scales have a layered structure with high gold content within approximately 10 micrometers of the surface. The golden shachi on Nagoya Castle's keep was largely destroyed in the air raids of 1945, with some scales rescued and preserved to this day. Previously, researchers had examined these scales using X-ray fluorescence analysis, but the results showed that some scales with a bright golden appearance did not necessarily have a high average gold content.

2026-08-31

Russian Research Team Proposes New Method for Measuring Proton and Deuteron Electric Dipole Moments in a Single Storage Ring

Physicists from several Russian research institutions have proposed a new method for searching for the electric dipole moments of protons and deuterons, potentially enabling the study of both particle types in a single storage ring. The participating institutions include the Moscow Institute of Physics and Technology, the Institute for Nuclear Research of the Russian Academy of Sciences, the National Research Nuclear University MEPhI, and the Landau Institute for Theoretical Physics of the Russian Academy of Sciences. The research was published in the journal *Nuclear Science and Technology* and was supported by a grant from the Russian Science Foundation. The electric dipole moment reflects whether there is a tiny asymmetry between the internal charge distribution of a particle and its spin direction. According to Standard Model predictions, the electric dipole moments of the proton and deuteron are nonzero but extremely small, on the order of 10...

2026-08-31