Japan’s nuclear watchdog on Jan. 14 scrapped a 12-year safety review for the Hamaoka nuclear power plant, citing a loss of trust after Chubu Electric Power Co. was suspected of falsifying earthquake resistance data.

The Nuclear Regulation Authority decided to nullify the entire review process for the No. 3 and 4 reactors and will conduct an on-site inspection of the company’s headquarters in Nagoya as early as this month.

The NRA will also consider rejecting any future review application if Chubu Electric cannot prove its compliance with new safety standards.

The decision follows Chubu Electric’s announcement that it is suspected of having underestimated the “standard ground motion”—the basis for its plant’s seismic design—by cherry-picking favorable data.

On Jan. 7, the NRA determined these actions constituted data fabrication and suspended the review. NRA Chairman Shinsuke Yamanaka said at the time that the entire process would need to be redone.

At its Jan. 14 meeting, the NRA, acting under the nuclear reactor regulation law, demanded that Chubu Electric submit by the end of March a report from its third-party committee detailing the facts of the misconduct and measures to prevent a recurrence.

During its inspection, the NRA plans to interview employees, check records, and investigate the motive for the fraud and the extent of senior management’s involvement.

It will determine further actions after assessing the impact on safety and the degree of malicious intent.

Meanwhile, the NRA will issue a notice to other nuclear plant operators, urging them to ensure their application materials are prepared appropriately. The authority said it may demand further action depending on the results of the Chubu Electric investigation.

The Atomic Energy Association announced Jan. 13 that it has begun investigating other operators for similar misconduct.

That same day, the Federation of Electric Power Companies of Japan warned its members that the situation was a “gravely serious matter that could shake the very foundations of the industry,” urging them to ensure proper operations.

(This article was written by Yusuke Ogawa and Tomoyuki Suzuki.)