Ukraine's Energoatom and Japan's Toshiba Energy Systems & Solutions Corporation have signed a memorandum of understanding on cooperation in the modernisation of the turbine island equipment of Ukrainian nuclear power plants. Energoatom operates all of Ukraine's four nuclear power plants - Zaporozhe, Rovno, South Ukraine and Khmelnitsky - which comprise 15 nuclear reactors, including 13 VVER-1000s and two VVER-440s with a total capacity of 13,835 MWe.

Japan's Nuclear Regulation Authority has today approved a draft report that concludes units 6 and 7 of Tokyo Electric Power Company's Kashiwazaki-Kariwa nuclear power plant meet the country's new safety standards. The draft document has now been released for public comment and could be formally approved by year-end.

Some of the fuel in the damaged unit 3 of the Fukushima Daiichi plant has melted and dropped into the primary containment vessel, initial results from using a muon detection system indicate. Part of the fuel, however, is believed to remain in the reactor pressure vessel.

Japan and Russia have signed a memorandum on the exchange of information on reactor physics experiments for minor actinoid transmutation for radioactive waste processing and management. The document was signed on 6 September in Vladivostok, Russia, during the Eastern Economic Forum by Rosatom Director-General Alexey Likhachov and Japan Atomic Energy Agency President Toshio Kodama.

Japan's nuclear regulator today approved the 'construction plans' for strengthening Ohi units 3 and 4 and Genkai unit 3. The plans are the second of three applications required during the restart process. The units must undergo further inspections before being permitted to restart.

The final part of an ice wall surrounding the damaged Fukushima Daiichi reactors is being frozen, Tokyo Electric Power Company said yesterday. The ice wall prevents the travel of water into or out of the reactor building basements.

Toshiba Corp, which reported its long-awaited earnings results today, says it has "dedicated itself" to eliminating risk related to the overseas nuclear power business, swiftly recovering and strengthening its financial base and strengthening its organisational management. The industrial and electronics conglomerate posted a net loss of ¥‎965.7 billion ($8.8 billion) for the financial year ended 31 March, an improvement of ¥‎30 billion from a revised outlook provided in June, but still more than double the loss of the previous year.

Tokyo Electric Power Company has addressed many of the recommendations made following a 2015 assessment of operational safety at its Kashiwazaki-Kariwa plant by the International Atomic Energy Agency. However, the IAEA says work should continue in some areas.

A total of ten Japanese nuclear power reactors are likely to have been restarted by the end of March 2019, according to the latest estimate by the Institute of Energy Economics, Japan (IEEJ). These restarts will help improve the country's economy, energy security and environment, it says.

Analyses by Japanese laboratories of seawater, marine sediment and fish samples taken from near the damaged Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant produce reliable data, according to the International Atomic Energy Agency. The agency compared the results obtained from seven Japanese labs with those from three labs outside Japan.

Mitsubishi Heavy Industries (MHI) has formally decided to invest in Areva's reactor operations and signed investment agreements with both Areva Group and EDF to take a 19.5% stake in New NP.

A "scientific characteristic map" for the geological disposal of high-level radioactive waste has today been published by Japan's Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry (METI). The map does not identify potential repository sites, but indicates areas that have suitable geological conditions to host such a facility.