Oldest commercial reactor in country went online in 1974 Japan’s Nuclear Regulation Authority on Wednesday (16 October) approved the Takahama-1 nuclear power plant to continue operations for the next 10 years making it the country’s first reactor to be endorsed to operate beyond 50 years The regulator confirmed owner and operator Kansai Electric Power Company’s assessment that the plant is safe to operate It also approved Kansai Electric’s plan for ageing countermeasures at the unit over the next 10 years The 780-MW Takahama-1 pressurised water reactor unit western Japan is the oldest operational nuclear power reactor in the country It began commercial operation in November 1974 Kansai Electric applied to the NRA in November last year to operate the plant for a further 10 years after conducting an ageing technical evaluation and formulating a long-term facility management policy all of which have been restarted since the 2011 Fukushima-Daiichi disaster Takahama-1 was restarted in July 2023 after being offline since January 2011 Japan’s fleet of 54 nuclear plants generated about 30% of the country’s electricity but were all shut down for safety checks following the accident Among the 33 operable nuclear reactors in Japan 12 have now resumed operations after meeting post-Fukushima safety standards Earlier this week, Chugoku Electric Power Company said its Shimane-2 nuclear power plant in Shimane Prefecture, southwest Japan, will restart in early December a move that will bring the number of reactors online to 13 and boost the nation’s power supply this winter Under regulations which came into force in July 2013 Japanese reactors had a nominal operating period of 40 years One extension to this – limited to a maximum of 20 years – could be granted the NRA approved a new rule that would allow reactors to be operated for more than 60 years. The rule effectively extended the amount of time reactors can remain operational beyond 60 years by excluding time spent on inspections and other periods they are offline from consideration when calculating their total service life. Japan’s cabinet formally adopted the new rule in February 2023 Japan’s Nuclear Regulation Authority (NRA) has given the green light to Kansai Electric Power Company (KEPCO) to continue operating the 780 MW Takahama-1 nuclear reactor for the next 10 years making it the first reactor in Japan to get approval to operate beyond 50 years KEPCO had submitted its application to extend operations at Takahama-1 in November 2023 Takahama-1 is the oldest operating reactor in Japan; it was commissioned in 1974 mothballed after the 2011 Fukushima accident located in central Japan's Fukui Prefecture commissioned in 1975) was restarted in September 2023 after also being mothballed both rated 830 MW and commissioned in 1985 the NRA approved the life extension for 20 years of Units 3 and 4 at the Takahama nuclear plant until 2045 the Japanese parliament enacted a law to allow nuclear reactors in Japan to operate beyond their current limit of 60 years in order to help cut greenhouse gas emissions and ensure a sufficient energy supply for the country Enerdata's premium online information service provides up-to-date market reports on 110+ countries The reports include valuable market data and analysis as well as a daily newsfeed This user-friendly tool gives you the essentials about the domestic markets of your concern Register now to subscribe to our informative monthly Japanese reactors have a nominal operating period of 40 years One extension to this - limited to a maximum of 20 years - may be granted a special inspection to verify the integrity of reactor pressure vessels and containment vessels after 35 years of operation The Takahama plant is home to four reactors Takahama 1 and 2 - both 780 MWe (net) pressurised water reactors (PWRs) - entered commercial operation in 1974 and 1975 respectively while units 3 and 4 - 830 MWe PWRs - both began commercial operation in 1985 Takahama 1 and 2 became the first Japanese units to be granted a licence extension beyond 40 years under the revised regulations Kansai announced it planned to apply for regulatory approval to extend the operating life of Takahama units 3 and 4 by a further 20 years The company said it had carried out special inspections and evaluations of the two units and had not found any issues likely to cause problems if the operating period were to be extended to 60 years It also announced plans to replace the steam generators at the two units during scheduled outages from June to October 2026 for unit 3 and October 2026 to February 2027 for unit 4 Kansai applied to the NRA for the operating extension in April 2023 making Takahama 3 and 4 the seventh and eighth Japanese reactors to be permitted to operate beyond 40 years "We will continue to strive to improve the safety and reliability of our nuclear power plants and utilise nuclear power generation as an important source of energy with the understanding of local residents and others," Kansai said the NRA approved a draft of a new rule that would allow reactors to be operated for more than the current limit of 60 years the operators of reactors in use for 30 years or longer must formulate a long-term reactor management plan and gain approval from the regulator at least once every 10 years if they are to continue to operate The new policy will effectively extend the period reactors can remain in operation beyond 60 years by excluding the time they spent offline for inspections from the total service life The legislation was approved by Japan's Cabinet in February and enacted in May 2023 Under the new policy - which describes nuclear power as "a power source that contributes to energy security and has a high decarbonisation effect" - Japan will maximise the use of existing reactors by restarting as many of them as possible and prolonging the operating life of aging ones beyond the current 60-year limit The government also said the country will develop advanced reactors to replace those that are decommissioned 1 reactor of the Takahama nuclear power plant in central Japan was given the all clear by the nuclear regulator Wednesday to continue operations making it the first reactor in the country to get approval to operate beyond 50 years The Nuclear Regulation Authority gave the green light to Kansai Electric Power Co.'s management plan for the next 10 years for the reactor which marks its 50th anniversary next month as the government considers nuclear power vital in the resource-poor country's energy mix The regulation authority confirmed the operator's evaluation which states the pressure vessel can withstand exposure to neutrons and the durability of the concrete has been maintained despite the effects of heat and radiation 1 and 2 reactors were approved in June 2016 to operate beyond 40 years both reactors were rebooted for the first time since the 2011 Fukushima Daiichi nuclear disaster Japan's parliament passed a bill to introduce a new system that will allow the country's nuclear reactors to operate beyond the current 60-year limit nuclear reactors may be granted additional operating years in effect as their offline periods will not be counted against their total service time provided the periods are due to reasons beyond a utility's control such as safety reviews or court-ordered suspension the NRA will check the condition of reactors and related facilities at least every 10 years after 30 years of operation to ensure the safety of old facilities 2 central Japan nuclear reactors get 20-year service extension Spent nuclear fuel shipped to Japan's 1st interim storage facility IAEA says Fukushima soil recycling plan meets safety standards To have the latest news and stories delivered to your inbox, subscribe here. Simply enter your email address below and an email will be sent through which to complete your subscription. Please check your inbox for a confirmation email. If you wish to change your message, press 'Cancel' to go back and edit. Thank you for reaching out to us.We will get back to you as soon as possible. On the 5th to 8th floors, the main work area, a new atrium has been created by drilling holes in the slabs. This large atrium, named "Open Art Tube," has a new internal staircase, a glass handrail with prismatic laminated sheets, and the innovative art piece "Fabbrica dell' Aria®" from Italy, which purifies the air by using plants as biofilters. This not only creates communication across floors and a sense of unity as an office but also makes the entire atrium a piece of art. the openings facing the street are replaced with folding doors that can be fully opened to provide a working place exposed to the city and outside air a café that can also be used by visitors from outside has also been added to create a local relationship Other inspiring and creative working spaces include a gallery on the 3rd floor in front of external conference rooms and a Finnish sauna on the 9th floor exclusively for employees to refresh their minds and bodies and encourage communication between colleagues employees will test various new ways of working to be more creative and hopefully manage to regain the venture spirit which is the original aim of this new headquarters You'll now receive updates based on what you follow Personalize your stream and start following your favorite authors If you have done all of this and still can't find the email Today's print edition Home Delivery Kansai Electric Power is working to double the amount of spent nuclear fuel it will ship to France urges Kansai Electric to address shrinking storage capacity for spent nuclear fuel the sources said.googletag.cmd.push(function() { googletag.display('div-gpt-ad-1499653692894-0'); }); Kansai Electric announced a plan to ship about 200 tons of the fuel from its Takahama plant in Fukui to France starting in fiscal 2027 Based on the Japanese government's policy the spent fuel will be used for research on technology to reprocess uranium-plutonium mixed oxide about 90% of the spent fuel storage capacity has already been used and that amount is expected to reach the upper limit in about three years About 200 tons of spent fuel will be generated if the No 4 reactors at the plant are operated for about three years Kansai Electric has restarted all of its seven nuclear reactors The company initially planned to send spent fuel mainly to a reprocessing plant to be built in Aomori Prefecture but the completion of the facility has been postponed Tatsuji Sugimoto of its intention to review the plan and said that it would halt three reactors in the prefecture if it fails to come up with a proposal that can win the understanding of officials there by the end of fiscal 2024 In a time of both misinformation and too much information quality journalism is more crucial than ever.By subscribing Your subscription plan doesn't allow commenting. To learn more see our FAQ Sponsored contents planned and edited by JT Media Enterprise Division Your browser does not support JavaScript, or it is disabled．Please check the site policy for more information National Report 1 reactor at the Takahama nuclear power plant in Takahama which is the oldest operating nuclear plant in Japan passed the 50-year operating milestone on Nov After the 2011 disaster at the Fukushima No the operating period of nuclear plants was set at 40 years with a maximum of 60 years in “very exceptional cases.” But there is a growing trend to make the maximum use of existing nuclear plants partly because the previous Kishida administration pushed for the nation's return to nuclear power which is operated by Kansai Electric Power Co. The reactor is a pressurized water reactor-type with an output of 826,000 kilowatts The reactor was shut down after the 2011 Great East Japan Earthquake and tsunami But it was restarted in July 2023 after being shut down for 12 and a half years following the Nuclear Regulation Authority extending the operating life of the reactor to 60 years The facility management policy for the next 10 years which is required for operation beyond 50 years was also approved by the NRA in October this year Regarding the 50-plus year operation of the No “We will proactively incorporate the latest knowledge from Japan and abroad to improve the safety and reliability of nuclear power plants,” KEPCO said KEPCO President Nozomu Mori said during a visit to the town of Mihama in Fukui Prefecture on Nov “We will continue to place the highest priority on safety.” Fukui Governor Tatsuji Sugimoto said in a prepared statement “We will continue to strictly monitor the operation of nuclear power plants in the prefecture.” The central government had called the maximum 20-year extension of a reactor “extremely exceptional.” the operating lives of eight reactors at four nuclear power plants have been approved so far to be extended and 4 reactors at the Takahama nuclear plant; the No 3 reactor at KEPCO’s Mihama nuclear plant in Fukui Prefecture; the Japan Atomic Power Co.’s Tokai No 2 nuclear plant in Ibaraki Prefecture; and the No 1 and 2 reactors at Kyushu Electric Power Co.’s Sendai nuclear plant in Kagoshima Prefecture 2 reactor at the Takahama nuclear plant will also mark 50 years of operation in November 2025 KEPCO is in the process of applying for the necessary procedures to operate the reactor for the next 10 years Older nuclear power plants are at risk of deterioration such as thinner piping and reduced strength of concrete structures and some residents living near the plant have voiced concerns a new system will begin under which nuclear power plants can be operated for an extended period beyond 60 years of operation This longer lifespan excludes the time that the plant was shut down for NRA’s safety inspections and other reasons from the operating period Although it depends on KEPCO’s application and the NRA’s review 1 reactor was shut down for about 12 years after the 2011 earthquake it may be able to operate until about 72 years after its start of operation The administration of Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba is expected to continue the nuclear power policy of the previous Kishida administration Domestic nuclear power plants will enter an era in which operation for more than 50 years is not unusual (This article was written by Tomoki Morishita EDITORIAL: Limiting life of nuclear plants to 40 years should be continued Nuke reactor in Takahama back online for first time since 2011 NRA approves management plan for KEPCO’s Oi reactors NRA OKs 60-year operations for 2 more reactors at Takahama plant NRA to extend maximum life of nuclear reactors beyond 60 years Information on the latest cherry blossom conditions Please right click to use your browser’s translation function.) A series based on diplomatic documents declassified by Japan’s Foreign Ministry Here is a collection of first-hand accounts by “hibakusha” atomic bomb survivors chefs and others involved in the field of food introduce their special recipes intertwined with their paths in life A series about Japanese-Americans and their memories of World War II In-house News and Messages No reproduction or republication without written permission Revised roadmap details plans for shipping spent nuclear fuel The governor of Fukui prefecture in western Japan has effectively approved the continued operations of three aging nuclear reactors in the prefecture from next fiscal year Tatsuji Sugimoto approved Kansai Electric Power’s revised roadmap for shipping spent nuclear fuel from the Mihama-3 Kansai Electric had said it would halt reactor operations if it failed to gain the prefecture’s understanding for the roadmap by the end of the current fiscal year All three reactors have been in operation for around 50 years According to International Atomic Energy Agency data Mihama-3 began commercial operation in 1976 Press reports in Japan said Sugimoto had spoken with industry minister Yoji Muto online after meeting with Kansai Electric president Nozomu Mori at the prefectural office earlier this week Sugimoto urged Mori and Muto to “steadily implement” the roadmap and promote regional development in the municipalities where the nuclear reactors are located “It is my duty to steadily transport [spent nuclear fuel] out [of the nuclear plants] and reduce the amount stored” at the plants Kansai Electric presented Fukui Prefecture with the revised roadmap in February after Japan Nuclear Fuel delayed the completion of a nuclear fuel reprocessing plant under construction in the village of Rokkasho about 400 tonnes of spent fuel will be shipped to a French company for use in research while 198 tonnes will be transported to the reprocessing plant which is expected to be completed in fiscal 2026 Before the Fukushima disaster Japan’s fleet of 54 nuclear plants generated about 30% of the country’s electricity Among the 33 operable nuclear reactors in Japan, 14 have now resumed operations after meeting post-Fukushima safety standards Japan’s Kansai Electric Power Company has been given prior consent by Fukui Prefecture and Takahama Town to replace the steam generators at units 3&4 of the Takaham NPP and to apply for replacement of the reactor internals at units 1&2 In May the ageing reactors at units 3&4 were approved to continue operating for 20 more years by the Nuclear Regulation Authority (NRA) All four reactors have now been approved to run for 60 years 830 MWe pressurised water reactors (PWRs) that began operation in 1985 are currently online and will reach their 40th anniversaries in January and June of 2025 Kansai Electric applied for their extension in April 2023 after carrying out special inspections of the facilities were approved in June 2016 to operate beyond 40 years both reactors were restarted for the first time since the 2011 Fukushima Daiichi nuclear disaster Kansai thanked the authorities for their understanding regarding plans for a 20-year extension for units 3&4 and said: “We will continue to strive to further improve the safety and reliability of nuclear power plants with the understanding of the local community and everyone else.” The application for prior consent to replace the steam generators was submitted in November 2022 Kansai said it planned to replace the steam generators during scheduled outages Kansai said: “We plan to apply for reactor installation change permission to the Nuclear Regulation Authority as soon as preparations are complete.” One extension to this – limited to a maximum of 20 years – may be granted the Japanese government enacted a bill to introduce a new system that will allow the country’s nuclear reactors to operate beyond the current 60-year limit The legislation comes into effect in June 2025 Give your business an edge with our leading industry insights View all newsletters from across the Progressive Media network © Business Trade Media International Limited Kansai Electric Power Company has received approval from Japan's Nuclear Regulation Authority to operate unit 1 at its Takahama nuclear power plant - the country's oldest operating reactor - beyond 50 years The utility applied to the NRA in November last year to operate the 780 MWe (net) pressurised water reactor (PWR) which entered commercial operation on 14 November 1974 for a further ten years after conducting an ageing technical evaluation and formulating a long-term facility management policy Kansai said: "As a result of the ageing technical evaluation conducted this time we have confirmed that the plant can be maintained in a sound manner even 50 years after the start of operation by implementing additional maintenance measures for some equipment and structures as a long-term facility management policy in addition to the current maintenance activities for equipment and structures that are important for safety." the NRA approved Kansai's plan for ageing countermeasures at the unit over the next ten years "We will continue to actively incorporate the latest knowledge from Japan and abroad and reflect it in plant design and equipment maintenance thereby striving to improve the safety and reliability of nuclear power plants," Kansai said One extension to this - limited to a maximum of 20 years - could be granted The new policy effectively extends the period reactors can remain in operation beyond 60 years by excluding the time they spent offline for inspections from the total service life The legislation was approved by Japan's Cabinet in February last year and enacted in May 2023 It comes into full effect in June next year Takahama 1 - which was restarted in July 2023 after being offline since January 2011 - becomes the first Japanese unit to be approved for operation beyond 50 years A Japanese court rejected Friday a request to revoke the approval given by the country's regulator to extend the operations of three nuclear reactors on the Sea of Japan coast beyond the service period limit of up to 40 years in principle The Nagoya District Court ruled in favor of the continued operation of the Nos 1 and 2 reactors at the Takahama nuclear plant and the No all in Fukui Prefecture and run by Kansai Electric Power Co. in the first judicial decision in lawsuits seeking revocation of approval for extending the operation of reactors Presiding Judge Ryo Kenmochi said the court "does not recognize any unreasonable points in the Nuclear Regulation Authority's assessments or conclusions." All three reactors started operating in the 1970s They cleared stricter safety regulations implemented following the Fukushima nuclear accident triggered by the March 2011 earthquake and tsunami disaster and were granted approval in 2016 to extend operations for up to 20 years beyond the limit including residents of Fukui and Aichi prefectures arguing that the regulator made errors in its assessments of the safety of the reactors They said the standard used to check the aging of the reactors' pressure vessels was unreasonable and that the containers face the risk of collapsing if cooled rapidly during an emergency with Kenmochi saying that "validity including that of outside experts was confirmed." the government introduced rules mandating that nuclear units can operate for up to 40 years with extensions to 60 years possible pending approval by regulators But as the government considers nuclear power vital in the resource-poor country's energy mix the parliament enacted in 2023 a bill to introduce a new system allowing reactors to operate beyond the 60-year limit with the introduction slated in June this year reactors may be granted additional operating years by exempting their offline periods from their total service time provided the periods are due to reasons beyond a utility's control such as a safety review or court-ordered suspension Japan marks 14th anniversary of quake-tsunami, nuclear disasters Court rejects request to halt western Japan nuclear reactor Appeal to charge ex-TEPCO executives over Fukushima accident rejected To have the latest news and stories delivered to your inbox Simply enter your email address below and an email will be sent through which to complete your subscription Please check your inbox for a confirmation email Thank you for reaching out to us.We will get back to you as soon as possible A man wielded a knife and set fire to the ground floor of Takahama City Hall in Aichi Prefecture at around 3 p.m after spreading what appeared to be paraffin please disable the ad blocking feature and reload the page This website uses cookies to collect information about your visit for purposes such as showing you personalized ads and content By clicking “Accept all,” you will allow the use of these cookies Users accessing this site from EEA countries and UK are unable to view this site without your consent but are reported to be in stable condition All city employees were evacuated and the ground floor of the city hall was sealed off Our weekly ePaper presents the most noteworthy recent topics in an exciting © 2025 The Japan News - by The Yomiuri Shimbun Kumamoto Prefecture—The unlikely friendship of a Japanese cartoonist and an Italian Catholic archbishop has put a spotlight on Amakusa’s “hidden Christian” sites leading 25 Italians to make a pilgrimage here this fall decided to create “Shishi to Botan” (The Lion and the Peony) adventure and buried treasure connected to the area’s Christian history Christianity had been introduced to the Amakusa region a collection of islands facing the outer sea by missionaries from Italy and other countries As missionary activities were banned in Japan and Christians faced persecution many continued to practice their faith in secrecy—even after the failed Shimabara Rebellion (1637-1638) led by Amakusa Shiro (1621-1638) Traces of this secret history can still be found throughout the area in places such as Sakitsu village Sakitsu is one of the “Hidden Christian Sites in the Nagasaki Region,” designated a UNESCO World Cultural Heritage site in 2018 Takahama moved back to her hometown of Amakusa in 2019 she won the Tezuka Osamu Cultural Prize’s Grand Prize for her manga “Nyx no Lantern,” which is set in Nagasaki and Paris during the Meiji Era (1868-1912) Takahama began developing a new story inspired by the secret Christian history of her hometown and legends of Amakusa Shiro’s buried treasure This eventually became “The Lion and the Peony,” now available in part on Leed Publishing Co.’s website (https://to-ti.in/product/shishitobotan) Takahama gave a lecture in Rome in 2023 about her historical research for “The Lion and the Peony.” Her lecture caught the attention of Paolo Giulietti Giulietti had developed a keen interest in Japan’s Christian history after visiting the country and being deeply moved by perseverance of the hidden Christians he has organized exhibitions of related artifacts Giulietti soon began corresponding with the Japanese cartoonist a specialist in the restoration of historic buildings who helped evaluate Sakitsu and other sites for inclusion on the World Cultural Heritage list Giulietti and Niglio hit it off right away and their friendship continued to grow through email correspondence The manga artist was invited to Lucca in fall 2023 as a guest of the church’s booth at one of Europe’s largest manga and video game festivals She was also invited to visit the archbishop’s residence After spending about a week with Giulietti Takahama told him that she worried that the unique historical characteristics of Amakusa are “being lost” to time Takahama said the introduction of Christianity to Amakusa its persecution and secret practice were not well understood in or outside Japan and that research into this history had stagnated Takahama wanted to “establish and strengthen ties with Italy that would shed light on Amakusa.” She then invited the archbishop to visit the area for himself He replied immediately that he would—and would bring a pilgrimage group They eventually decided to bring 25 pilgrims from Italy to Amakusa in September 440 years after Japan’s Christian warlords sent the Tensho Embassy to Europe to meet the pope This year also marks a “Holy Year,” which the Vatican celebrates every 25 years local entrepreneurs and business leaders are stepping forward hoping to help make Takahama’s dream a reality a former junior high school classmate of Takahama founded the “Italy and Amakusa Renewed Friendship Project” last June A special panel exhibition will be held this summer at the city-run Amakusa Christian Museum which is famed for its collection of materials about the Shimabara Rebellion The exhibition will combine showpieces related to Amakusa with artifacts about the martyred missionaries and hidden Christians that Giulietti had previously displayed in Italy The Friendship Project is currently coordinating with Amakusa city to prepare bathrooms multilingual information signs and accommodations for the Italian pilgrims who may be exploring the city on foot and by bicycle Takahama hopes the visitors from Italy will grow to love Amakusa and tell other travelers about its charms helping the city attract a new following in Japan and abroad “The experience should not end after just seeing the church and village in Sakitsu,” she said The Friendship Project is exploring creative strategies to encourage overseas travelers to return again and again—to feel the intrigue and depth of Amakusa’s Christian history The organizers hope that interacting with Amakusa residents will help visitors fully appreciate the city’s appeal as a tourist destination who can receive Amakusa Shiro T-shirts featuring an original design by Takahama email (ianf.1585@gmail.com) or scan the QR code to reach the project’s official Instagram account Items ‘hidden’ Christians used to get special folk cultural status ‘Nyx’s Lantern’ wins top manga prize at Tezuka Osamu awards Lisa’s UNESCO World Heritage Sites in Japan/ Ono Church: Despite perils Vase for holy oil used by ‘hidden Christians’ triggers a stir Monk inserts Buddhist deity into Madonna and Child work The Nagoya District Court on Friday dismissed lawsuits seeking to revoke decisions by the Japanese Nuclear Regulation Authority (NRA) to extend the operating lifespans of three aging nuclear reactors in Fukui Prefecture Presiding Judge Ryo Kenmochi upheld the NRA's approvals of 20-year extensions to the operating periods of the No 2 reactors at Kansai Electric Power's Takahama nuclear plant beyond 40 years 3 reactor of the firm's Mihama plant.googletag.cmd.push(function() { googletag.display('div-gpt-ad-1499653692894-0'); }); The court battle centered on whether the NRA's screening standards were appropriate The plaintiffs argued that the criteria did not adequately consider the possibility that aging reactor pressure vessels could be damaged if they are cooled rapidly in the wake of an accident The state argued that "the screening standards have been checked for their technical validity and are reasonable from an international perspective." The judge said there is nothing unreasonable in the NRA's method of predicting deterioration "Their validity has been confirmed including by outside experts." lawyers for the plaintiffs said in a statement that "we must say that the ruling is unfair because it only follows the government's claims." nuclear power reactors have a maximum operating period of 40 years in principle set following the 2011 nuclear accident at Tokyo Electric Power Company Holdings' disaster-crippled Fukushima No An extension of up to 20 years beyond the limit is allowed upon approval by the NRA The agency gave approvals for the Takahama No Local residents filed lawsuits that year to challenge the decisions 3 and 4 reactors at the Takahama nuclear plant in central Japan were approved Wednesday by the nuclear regulator to continue operating for 20 more years as the government maintains support of the technology's use in the resource-poor country's energy mix The decision makes them the seventh and eighth reactors nationwide that the Nuclear Regulation Authority has green-lit for extensions after 40 years of operations All four reactors at the facility in Fukui Prefecture have now been approved to run for 60 years 4 reactors are currently online and will reach their 40th anniversaries in January and June of 2025 applied for the extension in April 2023 after carrying out special inspections of the facilities said at a meeting that nuclear reactor pressure vessels tend to become brittle due to radiation but an official at the organization's secretariat said the reactors had been evaluated carefully and that there was "no problem." 1 and 2 reactors were approved in June 2016 to operate beyond 40 years from their start date with extensions to 60 years possible pending approval the Japanese government enacted a bill to introduce a new system that will allow the country's nuclear reactors to operate beyond the current 60-year limit Reactors approved under the previous framework will need to gain permission again from the regulator by June 2025 Japan court allows aging Fukui nuclear reactor to continue operations Japan, South Korea, China to pursue North Korea denuclearization: Kishida Japan begins 6th release of Fukushima treated radioactive water Kansai said it had carried out special inspections and evaluations of the two units and not found any issues likely to cause problems if the operating period was to be extended to 60 years saying that it had put together a facility management programme for the extended operation including the replacement of the steam generators It added: "We will continue to strive to improve the safety and reliability of nuclear power plants and with the understanding of the local community and others we will utilise nuclear power generation as an important power source." while units 3 and 4 - both 830 MWe PWRs - both began commercial operation in 1985 Takahama 1 and 2 became the first Japanese units to be granted a licence extension beyond 40 years under revised regulations but are currently out of service pending the completion of a bunkered back-up control centre Kansai has previously said it plans to restart units 1 and 2 in mid-2023 The economy ministry proposed a set of new rules on March 24 for a planned regulatory change that could allow nuclear plants to operate beyond the current 60-year limit The rules define how to implement new regulations that will take effect in June with Japan aiming to maximize its nuclear energy capacity by extending the lifespan of aging reactors periods when a nuclear plant’s operations have been suspended for extended regulatory reviews or a court order will not count toward its 60-year lifespan 1 reactor at the Takahama nuclear power plant in Fukui Prefecture remained offline for 12 and a half years for inspections and reviews prompted by the 2011 Great East Japan Earthquake the reactor could now be operated up to 72 years after it first debuted in 1974 that were idle for more than 10 years following the triple meltdown at the Fukushima No 1 nuclear power plant triggered by the 2011 earthquake and tsunami reactors that were taken offline due to operator negligence or misconduct will not be eligible for extensions This includes the Kashiwazaki-Kariwa nuclear power plant in Niigata Prefecture which was shut down for 32 months due to inadequate counter-terrorism measures 2 reactor at the Tsuruga nuclear power plant in Fukui Prefecture will not be allowed to exclude from its lifespan the 18 months it was suspended due to data falsification the economy minister will approve extensions beyond 60 years on a case-by-case basis the new guidelines still leave some uncertainties is currently awaiting local approval and pre-operation inspections before restarting the No 7 reactors at the Kashiwazaki-Kariwa plant The ministry will decide on a case-by-case basis whether such periods will count toward the plant’s operational lifespan Members of the ministry’s expert panel called for greater transparency in the approval process advocating for an open debate that includes a third-party adviser Japan introduced a strict 40-year limit on reactor lifespans following the Fukushima accident the recent policy shift toward greater reliance on nuclear energy has allowed for extensions of up to 20 years subject to approval from the Nuclear Regulation Authority all eight reactors that have applied for extensions have been granted approval to operate for 60 years effectively making the original limit irrelevant The government’s push for longer operational lifespans for reactors is part of its broader energy strategy which aims to “maximize the use of nuclear power.” Facing the financial and safety challenges of building new reactors the government seeks to keep existing ones operational for as long as possible no nuclear reactor has operated beyond 60 years and questions remain about how to ensure the safety of aging reactors Japan scrambles to keep nuclear plants going as long as possible NRA approves extending period nuclear reactors can operate New law allows nuclear reactors to operate past 60 years Kansai Electric Power on Thursday presented to Fukui Prefecture a proposal to double the amount of spent nuclear fuel it will ship from its nuclear plants in the prefecture to France The power utility proposed increasing the amount from the previously planned 200 tons in a draft revision of its plans for moving its spent nuclear fuel out of Fukui.googletag.cmd.push(function() { googletag.display('div-gpt-ad-1499653692894-0'); }); The draft also included a proposal to postpone the start of spent fuel shipments to a reprocessing plant under construction in the village of Rokkasho in Aomori Prefecture The completion of the facility has been delayed 1 reactor at the Takahama nuclear power plant in Fukui Prefecture on Thursday marked 50 years since it began operating making it the nation’s first reactor to reach this milestone Nuclear power is an energy source that contributes to decarbonization efforts and provides a stable supply of electricity at a time when demand for power is expected to surge due to the growing use of artificial intelligence the deterioration of nuclear power facilities that have operated for several decades will become an issue that needs to be addressed 1 reactor is the oldest at a nuclear plant still operating in Japan The reactor cleared Nuclear Regulation Authority safety standards in April 2016 and after gaining the consent of local government authorities was restarted in July 2023 for the first time in 12½ years Following the 2011 accident at Tokyo Electric Power Company Holdings the lifespan of domestic nuclear reactors was in principle set at 40 years but can be extended up to a maximum of 60 years the nuclear authority approved Kansai Electric’s 10-year management and maintenance plan for the Takahama No which opened the door for the unit to operate beyond its 50th anniversary Under the Green Transformation law that comes into effect next June nuclear reactors in Japan could even be allowed to operate for more than 60 years Reactors that have been operating for almost 50 years include the No 2 reactor at the Takahama nuclear plant; the No 3 reactor at Kansai Electric’s Mihama nuclear plant in Fukui Prefecture; Japan Atomic Power Co.’s Tokai No 2 nuclear power plant in Ibaraki Prefecture; and the No 1 unit at Kyushu Electric Power Co.’s Sendai nuclear power plant in Kagoshima Prefecture Nuclear plants do not emit greenhouse gases and can stably generate electricity 24 hours a day The long-term operation of these plants is becoming more commonplace around the world and some reactors in the United States have been cleared to operate for up to 80 years the extended operation of these reactors has raised concerns about their degradation over time If reactors continue to operate without being properly maintained One example of such degradation is embrittlement caused by neutron irradiation The reactor’s pressure vessel that stores nuclear fuel is constructed from steel but prolonged exposure to neutrons emitted by the fuel can weaken it When nuclear reactors in Japan are activated a fatigue test piece made from the same material as the pressure vessel is mounted inside the vessel Power companies remove this test piece at intervals of about 10 years to assess the degree of deterioration inside the vessel “It’s certainly possible for nuclear power plants to operate for more than 50 years provided that general inspections are thoroughly conducted and any damaged equipment is repaired or replaced,” said Institute of Science Tokyo Specially Appointed Prof an expert in reactor engineering and measures to prevent nuclear plant deterioration the Nuclear Regulation Authority (NRA) approved a 20-year extension for the operation of the Takahama-3 and -4 Nuclear Power Plants (PWRs located in Fukui Prefecture and owned and operated by the Kansai Electric Power Co Next year—in January (Unit 3) and June (Unit 4)—the two reactors will both reach 40 years of operation which is the limit (without approved extensions) under Japan’s Act on the Regulation of Nuclear Source Material Kansai EP had filed applications with the NRA for permission to extend the two reactors’ operating lifetimes to 60 years from the original 40 the power company looked at the deterioration of facilities at both units assessing the soundness of important safety-related equipment and structures—approximately 4,200 items of equipment at each reactor—and concluded that it found no reason not to continue operations on the basis of a 20-year extension Through evaluation meetings and on-site investigations the NRA confirmed the results of both special inspections by the operator which were required for operation beyond 40 years the NRA chairman and four commissioners approved the extensions without objection Kansai EP released the following comment: “Aiming to enhance the safety and reliability of nuclear power plants and obtaining understanding from the public both locally and nationally we will utilize nuclear power as a key power source.” Currently all seven of Kansai EP’s NPPs are in full operation The permissions granted to Takahama-3 and -4 for operation beyond 40 years follow those for Takahama-1 and -2 and Mihama-3—all three owned and operated by Kansai EP—as well as those for the Tokai-2 NPP owned and operated by the Japan Atomic Power Company (JAPC) owned and operated by Kyushu Electric Power Co it brings the total number of domestic NPPs approved for such operation to eight Takahama-1 and -2 and Mihama-3 are already past the 40-year mark of their operational lives Sendai-1—the first NPP to be restarted after enforcement of Japan’s new regulatory standards—will pass the 40-year mark of its operational life in July Toshiba Wins Order for Middle East’s First Heavy-Ion Therapy System 【The 58th JAIF Annual Conference】 Envisioning the Future of the Nuclear Industry with Students 【58th JAIF Annual Conference】Supply Chain Challenges and Solutions: Lessons from International Case Studies 【The 58th JAIF Annual Conference】 Challenges of New Nuclear Construction Discussed with European Examples JAERO Releases Results of Latest Public Poll on Nuclear Energy New 3-D Visualization Method Shows How Fuel Debris Forms Tokyo Nuclear Supply Chain Symposium Features Lively Panel Discussion JAEA Develops Storage Battery Using Depleted Uranium UKAEA and Fukushima Institute to Cooperate in HR Development in Robotics JAEA Develops Radiation Detector for Assessing Exposure in Fukushima Daiichi Decommissioning Work Niigata Prefectural Assembly Rejects Ordinance Requiring Referendum on Kashiwazaki Kariwa Restart Japan’s Restarted Nuclear Plants Achieve 80.5% Capacity Factor in FY24 Japan’s NRA Approves Draft Review of Dry Storage Facilities at Takahama and Onagawa NPPs Nuclear Energy Subcommittee Discusses Approval of Extending NPP Operation Beyond 60 Years Copyright © JAPAN ATOMIC INDUSTRIAL FORUM Takahama 1 entered a regular inspection outage in January 2011 two months before the accident at the Fukushima Daiichi plant that resulted in all of Japan's operable reactors being taken offline Unit 2 of the plant was taken offline in November 2011 Kansai applied to the Nuclear Regulation Authority (NRA) to restart the two reactors in March 2015 the NRA confirmed the units met new safety regulations the NRA gave its approval for the reactors - which began operating in 1974 and 1975 respectively - to operate for up to 60 years becoming the first Japanese units to be granted a licence extension beyond 40 years under the revised regulations Takahama 1 was originally scheduled to restart around early June but the plan was postponed due to the need for additional work on fire protection infrastructure Kansai announced that Takahama 1 was restarted at 3.00pm on 28 July and expects the reactor to reach criticality on 29 July the final stage of the periodic inspection will be carried out on 2 August a comprehensive load performance test will be conducted and full-scale operation will be resumed The next scheduled inspection of the reactor is in April 2024 Takahama 2 is scheduled to resume operations on 15 September Takahama 3 and 4 - two 1180 MWe PWRs - were returned to commercial operation in February 2016 and June 2017 Kansai asked the NRA for permission to extend the lifespan of Takahama units 3 and 4 - which both began commercial operation in 1985 - by 20 years The reviews of 17 reactors had been successfully completed and 11 of them have now returned to operation The remaining 14 operable reactors are at various stages of the NRA review process and several may be forced to shut down temporarily for not meeting NRA deadlines to construct back-up control centres or other facilities required by the new regulations the Japanese government adopted a plan to extend the operation of existing nuclear power reactors and replace aging facilities with new advanced ones The move is part of a policy that addresses global fuel shortages following Russia's invasion of Ukraine and seeks to achieve carbon neutrality by 2050 The Nuclear Regulation Authority on May 29 approved extending the operating lives of two reactors in Fukui Prefecture to 60 years the seventh and eighth such requests accepted by the nuclear industry watchdog 3 and 4 reactors at the Takahama nuclear power plant came despite a government policy of limiting reactor lifespans to 40 years in principle That policy was adopted after the triple meltdown at the Fukushima No The NRA has now approved all requests from plant operators to extend the lives of eight reactors across four plants to 60 years applied in April last year for the lifespan extension for the two reactors With the reactors’ operating lives nearing the age limit Kansai Electric used legal amendments approved in 2012 that allow a one-time 20-year extension to the 40-year operating limit for reactors the NRA concluded that the extensions at the Takahama plant were appropriate It said no issues with the reactor vessels and other critical facilities have been detected through ultrasonic and visual inspections It also confirmed Kansai Electric’s plans to replace damaged heat transfer tubes in steam generators used to drive turbines under the leadership of the Democratic Party of Japan stated that operating-life extensions for reactors would be “limited to extremely exceptional cases.” all applications submitted so far for 60-year operations have been approved 1 and 2 reactors also at the Takahama plant 3 reactor at the Mihama nuclear power plant in Fukui Prefecture 2 nuclear power plant in Ibaraki Prefecture 1 and 2 reactors at the Sendai nuclear power plant in Kagoshima Prefecture Fourteen other reactors around Japan are scheduled to exceed 40 years of operation within the next decade A new system to be fully introduced in June next year will allow for extending reactor operations beyond 60 years This system allows operators to exclude from official lifespan calculations the periods when the reactors are idle due to NRA inspections A panel of experts at the industry ministry is currently discussing the calculation method for the exclusion periods According to a March 2023 report from the ministry the periods that could be excluded are five years and nine months for the Takahama plant’s No 3 reactor and six years and four months for the No (This article was written by Shoko Tamaki and Fumi Yada.) Kansai Electric seeks extension for 2 reactors at Takahama plant 4 nuclear reactor shuts down following alarm Fukui governor OKs restarts of reactors at aging nuclear plants the NRA confirmed both units met new safety regulations Takahama 1 was restarted on 28 July and resumed full-scale operation on 28 August Kansai has now announced that unit 2 was restarted at 3.00pm on 15 September and will reach criticality on 16 September Power generation is scheduled to resume on 19 September The company plans to conduct a comprehensive load performance test on 16 October and resume full-scale operation The restart of Takahama 2 means that Kansai has now resumed operation at all seven of its operable reactors following the introduction of stricter safety standards Known today for its pristine beaches and surfing the aristocracy of Kyoto imported saba (mackerel) from Takahama So much of the silvery gray fish flowed from Takahama to the ancient capital that the roads connecting the two began to be known as the “Saba Kaido” (literally in the midst of the weak yen and overtourism Kyoto is looking to the Saba Kaido once again for relief — not in the form of mackerel but in the hope that the sleepy seaside village can become an alternative destination for tourists aiming to outrun the crowds in the quest for an “authentic Japan” experience.googletag.cmd.push(function() { googletag.display('div-gpt-ad-1499653692894-0'); }); Takahama isn’t alone in this endeavor — countless small towns across the country are grasping at any tourism overflow they can siphon off from Tokyo is through the foreign resident it relies on to evangelize its merits The Nuclear Regulation Authority on Wednesday approved operating life extensions of up to 20 years for two more reactors at Kansai Electric Power's Takahama nuclear power plant in Fukui Prefecture 4 reactors are the seventh and eighth to receive such approval in the country They began operation in 1985 and will reach 40 years of operation in January and June 2025 respectively.googletag.cmd.push(function() { googletag.display('div-gpt-ad-1499653692894-0'); }); Kansai Electric applied for the extensions in April last year after conducting special inspections of the reactors The NRA concluded at a regular meeting on Wednesday that the reactors met the standards for extended operation as no problems were found in ultrasonic and visual inspections 3 unit at Kansai Electric's Mihama nuclear plant in Fukui Prefecture 2 units at Kyushu Electric Power's Sendai plant in Kagoshima Prefecture have been allowed to operate beyond 40 years effectively allows nuclear reactors to operate beyond 60 years by not including periods of suspension for regulatory inspections The law requires reactors to be checked for deterioration and reviewed by the regulator every 10 years after turning 30 years old 4 reactors need to be screened and approved again by the regulator before June 2025 Government sees reactors as key element of energy strategy offering sweeping views of the landscape ahead with its textured and wood-paneled exterior the building exudes a warmth that gently blends in with the nearby dunes all images © Kawasumi-Kobayashi Kenji Photograph Office As an homage to Tottori, which is well-known for folk crafts (‘Mingei’) culture, the team at Kengo Kuma and Associates incorporated local craftsmanship into the café interiors ‘Chairs are designed with cross-laminated timber while light pendants are made of Washi paper sprinkled with local sand. The bathroom sinks are made by Nakai-gama which uses a beautiful combination of green and black glazing,’ explains the practice.  warm-toned lighting enlivens the textured façades and rooftop pergola adding dramatic flair to the Tottori Takahama Café without taking away the inherently intimate atmosphere that floods its spaces.  warm-toned lighting dramatizes the café sculptural forms envisioned as a ‘staircase to the sky’ the wood-paneled exterior reflects the nearby dunes cross-laminated timber reaching for the viewing deck second floor with chairs designed using cross-laminated timber light pendants made of Washi paper sprinkled with local sand overlooking Tottori’s sand dunes and open waters name: Tottori Takahama Café  architecture: Kengo Kuma and Associates | @kkaa_official  construction: Taisei Corporation, Daiwa Kensetsu lighting: Daiko Electric Co., Ltd. photography: Kawasumi-Kobayashi Kenji Photograph Office AXOR presents three bathroom concepts that are not merely places of function but destinations in themselves — sanctuaries of style 780-MW PWR now oldest operating nuclear plant in country Kansai Electric Power Company has restarted the Takahama-1 nuclear power plant in Japan bringing to 11 the number of reactors now in operation in the country was restarted on 28 July and reached criticality on 29 July full-scale operation is scheduled for 28 August is a 780-MW pressurised water reactor that began commercial operation in November 1974 It is now the oldest operating reactor in Japan A regular inspection outage began at Takahama-1 in January 2011 two months before the accident at the Fukushima-Daiichi that resulted in all of Japan’s operable reactors being taken offline pending safety checks The identical Unit 2 was taken offline in November 2011 That unit is scheduled to resume operations in September were returned to commercial operation in February 2016 and June 2017 respectively In December the NRA approved new regulations that will allow commercial reactors to operate longer than the limit of 60 years as the nation looks to increase the share of power generated by nuclear energy All the country’s commercial reactors were shut down following the Fukushima disaster and are not allowed to restart until they have passed stringent new safety checks According to the International Atomic Energy Agency that figure was 7.2% in 2021 11 have resumed operations after meeting post-Fukushima safety standards while 10 are still under examination by the NRA (Kansai EP) resumed operation of the number 4 reactor at its Takahama site which had been undergoing a periodic inspection The reactor is expected to return to commercial operation on May 21 The power company currently has seven active Nuclear Power Plants (NPPs): Mihama-3 also in the process of a periodic inspection The others are all in commercial operation all the company’s NPPs are now in operation—the first time that has happened since new regulatory standards came into effect in July 2013 Kansai EP decided to decommission Mihama-1 and -2 but also filed applications with the Nuclear Regulation Authority (NRA) of Japan for examinations at Mihama-3 and Takahama-1 and -2 for compatibility with new regulatory standards the power company decided to decommission Ohi-1 and -2 Kansai EP’s potential for generating nuclear power is put at seven units after the compatibility examinations ended Kansai EP restarted operations at Mihama-3 in June 2021 All three reactors were approved for operation beyond 40 years According to a Kansai EP release on April 4 the company’s total nuclear-generated electricity in FY2023 was 44.25 TWh (up 58.4% from the previous year) and its capacity factor was 76.6% (up 28.1 points) Before the massive M-9.1 earthquake (officially described as the Great East Japan Earthquake) of March 11 Kansai EP last had all its NPPs (then numbering 11) in operation from December 2008 to February 2009 This will be the first time since then that all units are in operation Metrics details Sepsis is a systemic response to infection with life-threatening consequences Our understanding of the molecular and cellular impact of sepsis across organs remains rudimentary we characterize the pathogenesis of sepsis by measuring dynamic changes in gene expression across organs To pinpoint molecules controlling organ states in sepsis we compare the effects of sepsis on organ gene expression to those of 6 singles and 15 pairs of recombinant cytokines we find that the pairwise effects of tumor necrosis factor plus interleukin (IL)-18 interferon-gamma or IL-1β suffice to mirror the impact of sepsis across tissues we map the cellular effects of sepsis and cytokines by computing changes in the abundance of 195 cell types across 9 organs which we validate by whole-mouse spatial profiling Our work decodes the cytokine cacophony in sepsis into a pairwise cytokine message capturing the gene cell and tissue responses of the host to the disease The timing and location of events that take place across organs other than blood during sepsis remain unclear Sepsis is thus a clear example for which learning the multifactorial effects of the disease on the molecules cells and tissues of the whole body is critically important for basic and clinical sciences to better understand the systemic effects of sepsis we must build a mechanistic framework explaining the causal relationships between the key molecular and cellular factors of the disease at the level of the whole organism we used mouse models of sepsis to obtain a dynamic organism-wide map of the pathogenesis of the disease revealing the spatiotemporal patterns of both known and previously unrecognized effects of sepsis on the body our work uncovered a hierarchical cytokine circuit arising from the pairwise effects of tumor necrosis factor (TNF) with IL-18 which yielded nonlinear effects on tissues through synergistic and antagonistic gene regulation these three cytokine pairs sufficed to recapitulate most of the host transcriptional physiological and fitness responses to sepsis uncovering an emerging principle in the chaotic behavior of cytokines during sepsis our results provided fundamental insights that will help build a unified mechanistic framework for the effects of sepsis on the body Each vertical bar shows the cluster membership proportions for a single tissue sample ordered over time (bottom 3 and 5 d after sublethal LPS injection) for each organ type Pathway enrichment analysis using DEGs in each topic from d Shown are enrichment coefficients (x axis) for indicated Gene Ontology (GO) terms (y axis) Topic modeling therefore delineated a dynamic view of key processes regulated by LPS across tissues Heat maps of DEGs (rows) from whole-tissue mRNA profiles ordered by k-means clustering and organ types (top 0.5 (b) or 1 (c) day after sublethal LPS injection or severe Values are log2 fold changes relative to matching organs from untreated mice for LPS or mice after sham surgeries for CLP Statistical analyses were performed with limma (FDR-adjusted P value < 0.1) Shown are all the genes found to be differentially regulated in at least one of the LPS or CLP conditions for each time point Percentages (x axis) of genes differentially expressed in tissues (rows) upon severe moderate or mild CLP that match the genes regulated by sublethal LPS at 0.25 Positive and negative percentages indicate overlaps of upregulated and downregulated genes cohorts and organs (y axes) in LPS and CLP sepsis (n = 4 biologically independent samples for LPS samples; n = 5 biologically independent samples for CLP samples) Schematic overview of the experimental workflow Mice were intravenously injected with 6 singles or 15 pairs of recombinant cytokines followed by RNA-seq on indicated organs Normalized counts (top) and blood concentration (bottom) for indicated cytokine genes and proteins upon sublethal LPS injection at indicated time points (n = 3 biologically independent samples for normalized counts in BM 5 d liver 1 d or lung 3 d; n = 4 for other groups) Percentages (circle) and numbers (color scale) of genes differentially expressed upon injection with indicated recombinant cytokines (rows) across organs (columns) that match the genes regulated by sublethal LPS at 12 h after sepsis induction ‘Plasma’ indicates naive mice injected with plasma from LPS-injected mice Heat map (left) of DEGs (rows) from whole-tissue mRNA profiles ordered by k-means clustering and organ types (top colors) at 12 h after sublethal LPS injection Values are log2 fold changes relative to matching Statistical analyses were performed with limma (FDR-adjusted P value < 0.01; absolute fold change > 2; n = 4) Genes upregulated and downregulated by indicated recombinant cytokine pairs in at least one of the nine tissues profiled are indicated in red and blue Numbers of genes (x axis) differentially regulated by indicated cytokine pairs (rows) but not by matching single cytokines Percentages (x axis) of genes differentially expressed in tissues (rows) upon injection of the indicated three cytokine pairs that match the genes regulated by bacterial (LPS these results supported a model whereby nonlinear pairwise cytokine effects yield tissue states that closely resemble those induced by bacterial and viral sepsis The impact of cytokine perturbations using neutralizing antibodies and genetic deletions during LPS or CLP sepsis was assessed by measuring tissue gene expression and host physiological parameters Heat maps of DEGs (rows) from whole-tissue mRNA profiles ordered by k-means clustering and organ types (top; colors) at 12 h after sublethal LPS injection with or without (control) anti-TNF pretreatment Values are log2 fold changes relative to matching organs from untreated mice for LPS without anti-TNF Statistical analyses were performed with limma (FDR-adjusted P value < 0.01–0.05 Shown are all the genes found to be differentially regulated in at least one of the indicated conditions (row annotations in black) colors) at 0.5 d after CLP (severe grade) in wild-type mice injected with isotype control antibodies or Il18−/− Ifng−/− or Il1b−/− mice injected with anti-TNF (left to right) Values are log2 fold changes relative to matching organs from sham-operated mice for wild-type or wild-type mice after severe CLP surgeries for Ifng−/− Measurements of rectal temperature in mice of indicated genotypes with or without indicated neutralizing antibody pretreatment at 24 h after lethal LPS injection Statistical differences were determined by one-way analysis of variance (ANOVA) with Tukey–Kramer test (n = 10 biologically independent samples for LPS control; n = 5 biologically independent samples for other groups) Survival curves of mice injected with a lethal dose of LPS with or without indicated neutralizing antibody pretreatment (n = 5 biologically independent samples) Measurements of rectal temperature in mice of indicated genotypes with or without indicated neutralizing antibody pretreatment at 0.5 d after lethal LPS injection (f) or severe CLP surgery (g) Statistical differences were determined by one-way ANOVA with Tukey–Kramer test Serum levels of indicated organ injury markers at 24 h after injection of a sublethal LPS dose or PBS as control or 12 h after injection of indicated recombinant cytokine pairs Measurement of rectal temperature at 16 h after injection of a sublethal LPS dose Measurements of rectal temperature (y axis; left and right) relative to time after injection (left) or varying doses (right x axis) of recombinant (r)IL-1β in combination with rTNF (1 µg) the number of spatial transcriptomics array spots covering indicated tissues) Images (×40 magnification; d) from Ly6G immunohistochemistry in lungs from mice injected with LPS indicated cytokines or left untreated as controls Bar graph (e) shows quantifications of Ly6G+ cells per field of view Whole-mouse spatial transcriptomics data (g) from control and LPS conditions (columns) were magnified to only show spleen tissue Cr2 normalized expression was overlaid as cell-type markers on a grayscale H&E image Bar plot (h) of average expression of Cr2 across all spatial transcriptomics array spots covering indicated tissues Flow cytometry analysis (i) of splenic B cells from mice injected with a sublethal dose of LPS or indicated cytokines Bar graphs (j) show quantifications in absolute count per tissue qualitative summary of the impact of the three cytokine pairs indicated (gray scale) on the indicated core cell types (columns and bottom-right legend) across tissues (rows) Red and blue arrows indicate an increase and decrease in cell-type abundance score for each cytokine pair on each core cell type in each tissue While sepsis remains a leading cause of death in intensive care units worldwide our understanding of the pathogenesis of sepsis across most tissues and organs of the body is lacking To begin to address this fundamental gap in knowledge we mapped the organismal response to sepsis over time by measuring changes in gene expression across tissues in mouse models of the disease Using cytokine injections and perturbations in vivo we discovered a hierarchical cytokine module composed of TNF IFN-γ and IL-1β that sufficed to explain most of the organism-wide response to sepsis ranging from genes to cells to tissue physiology and host fitness Our work decodes the chaos in systemic cytokine signaling during sepsis into a simplifying pairwise cytokine message and provides spatiotemporal data key to build a mechanistic framework for the impact of sepsis on the whole organism What did organism-wide maps of gene expression tell us about sepsis our data revealed a plethora of changes that come with the initiation and resolution of sepsis These changes were detected in all organ systems tested and encompassed most known biomarkers and physiological events linked to sepsis of the 872 genes with a PubMed Gene Reference into Function (geneRIF) annotation containing the keyword ‘sepsis’ 69.7% (608/872 genes as of 18 March 2023) were regulated in at least one tissue and time point in our LPS and CLP sepsis data Future work is needed to elucidate which regulated genes are causal or bystander and beneficial or detrimental during sepsis or those that damage lymphoid tissues and cells such as pairwise effects in the cytokine network Future work is needed to assess the dynamics of tissue recovery during CLP sepsis with or without antibiotics treatment mimicking human patient treatment regimens Future work is needed to test other predictions and define the mechanisms underlying cellular changes migration or intracellular state of the cells affected by sepsis our spatiotemporal data provide detailed insights in the quest toward defining a mechanistic framework to explain sepsis which further supports the hierarchy uncovered by our pairwise cytokine screening data these observations in sepsis and beyond help to contextualize the organism-wide effects of the three TNF-centered cytokine pairs identified by our data as critical to explain sepsis our work provides fundamental insights to help build a mechanistic framework explaining the organism-wide effects of sepsis which will fuel therapeutic innovation for a disease lacking targeted drugs stock 068082-JAX) and B6.129S-Tnftm1Gkl/J (Tnf KO stock 005540) were obtained from the Jackson Laboratories Animals were housed in specific pathogen-free and BSL2 conditions at The University of Chicago and all experiments were performed in accordance with the US National Institutes of Health Guide for the Care and Use of Laboratory Animals and approved by The University of Chicago Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee A 1- to 2-cm midline laparotomy was performed and the cecum was exposed The cecum was ligated with 6-0 silk sutures (Ethicon) and perforated as follows to vary disease severity: (1) mild sepsis: ligate at distal 33% position and perforate once with a 21-gauge needle; (2) moderate sepsis: ligate at distal 40% position and perforate twice with a 19-gauge needle; (3) severe sepsis: ligate immediately below the ileocecal valve and perforate twice with a 19-gauge needle The cecum was tucked back into the peritoneum and gently squeezed to extrude a small amount of fecal content The peritoneal wall was closed using absorbable suture 1 ml of saline was injected subcutaneously Mice were temporarily placed on a heating pad for recovery Sham-operated mice underwent the same procedure except that the cecum was neither tied nor perforated C57BL/6J mice were injected intravenously with 2.5 µg of recombinant TNF IL-18 or IFN-γ used alone (6 singles) or in pairwise combinations (15 pairs) C57BL/6J or indicated knockout mice were injected intraperitoneally with 50 µg of TNF (clone BE0058 BioXCell) neutralizing antibodies in 100 µl of PBS 1 h before LPS injection Mouse whole blood was harvested by cardiac puncture and plasma and serum were isolated using lithium heparin-coated Microtainer blood collection tubes (BD 365965) and Microtainer blood collection tubes (BD plasma was diluted and processed using the LEGENDplex Mouse Inflammation Panel (BioLegend 740446) and Mouse Macrophage/Microglia Panel (BioLegend Data were acquired on the NovoCyte flow cytometer (Acea Biosciences/Agilent) and analyzed using the LEGNEDplex software v8 (BioLegend) To measure tissue injury marker levels in sera samples were processed with the following kits for BUN (BioAssay Systems DIUR-100) CTNI-1-HS) levels according to the manufacturer’s instructions Mice were anesthetized with 2,2,2-tribromoethanol (250–500 mg per kg body weight) and perfused transcardially with PBS containing 10 mM EDTA (to avoid signal contamination from blood in tissues) blood was collected by cardiac puncture and stored on ice and tissues were placed in RNA-preserving solution (5.3 M ammonium sulfate 20 mM EDTA) and kept at 4 °C overnight before transfer at −80 °C for storage we harvested up to 13 tissues in total: iLNs Small intestine and colon were cut longitudinally and washed extensively in PBS to completely remove feces contamination Bone marrow cells were collected from femora and tibiae stored overnight in RNA-preserving solution at 4 °C centrifuged at 5,000g for 5 min at 4 °C and cell pellets were stored at −80 °C Sample concentrations were measured using a Nanodrop One (Thermo Scientific) RNA quality was confirmed using a Tapestation 4200 (Agilent Technologies) The samples with low RNA quality were excluded from the subsequent experiments 2 pmol of template switching oligo and 0.25 µl of Maxima H Minus Reverse Transcriptase (Thermo Scientific which were then denatured at 72 °C for 1 min followed by snap cooling on ice the RT mix was added and plates were incubated at 42 °C for 120 min double-stranded cDNA from up to 384 samples were pooled using DNA Clean & Concentrator-5 columns (Zymo Research D4013) and residual RT primers were removed using exonuclease I (New England Biolabs Full-length cDNAs were amplified with 5 to 8 cycles of single-primer PCR using the Advantage 2 PCR Kit (Clontech 639206) and cleaned up using SPRIselect magnetic beads (Beckman Coulter cDNA was quantified with a Qubit dsDNA High Sensitivity Assay Kit (Thermo Fisher Scientific 32851) and 50 ng of cDNA per pool of samples was tagmented using the Tagment DNA Enzyme I (Illumina 20034197) and amplified using the NEBNext Ultra II Q5 Master Mix (New England BioLabs Libraries were gel purified using 2% E-Gel EX Agarose Gels (Thermo Fisher Scientific quantified with a Qubit dsDNA High Sensitivity Assay Kit (Thermo Fisher Scientific Q32851) and a Tapestation 4200 (Agilent Technologies) and sequenced on the NextSeq 550 platform (Illumina) total splenocytes were obtained by mashing spleens on 70-µm filters followed by red blood cell lysis (Lonza) To analysis red blood cell content in the bone marrow total bone marrow cells were flushed out of femora and tibiae using PBS Single-cell suspensions were stained in the presence of Fc receptor-blocking antibodies (mouse CD16/32 clone 93) using the following antibodies (BioLegend): CD19-FITC (clone 1D3/CD19 Cell viability was measured using Zombie Yellow Fixable Viability kit (423103) or DAPI Flow cytometry data were acquired on the NovoCyte flow cytometer (Acea Biosciences/Agilent Technologies) using NovoExpress (version 1.3.0) and analyzed using FlowJo (BD) We identified genes with at least a twofold expression difference and indicated Benjamini and Hochberg FDR-adjusted P value and fold expression difference by comparing treated tissues and matching control tissues using limma Data analysis was also performed with existing packages fs (version 1.3.2) and Matrix (version 1.2–18) We defined the absolute average log2 fold change of these 258 genes within each RNA-seq profile as the sepsis biomarker score We then computed the following contrasts for each pair (AB) of interest and its component singles (A ‘pair effect’ is equivalent to the observed gene expression value for a given pair while ‘additive effect’ is equivalent to the predicted gene expression value for that pair if it is assumed to be equal to the sum of the component singles The ‘interaction effect’ is equal to the difference between these two values and is used as the score for assessing nonadditive interactions We identified genes with significantly different expression within each contrast and across all contrasts using a Benjamini and Hochberg correction for multiple-hypothesis testing and an FDR of 0.1 depending on its score and the gene expression values of the pair and its component singles Genes without >0.5 absolute difference in log2 fold change in at least two of the three experimentally measured treatment conditions for a given pair and organ (single 1 effect pair effect) were considered to have roughly the same expression across all samples and were excluded from further classification to avoid classifying genes with very high or low baseline expression in the singles (and very high or low predicted additive effects but no additional increase or decrease in gene expression at the pair level) as synergistic or antagonistic Using the standard deviation for each contrast determined via limma as the average of the standard deviations for all experimentally measured samples for that gene and the score was significant (FDR < 0.1) OR score > 1 (>2-fold difference between predicted and observed gene expression values) The gene was only classified as significantly synergistic if the score was determined to be significant at the chosen FDR (0.1) if the score < −2 × E and score significant (FDR < 0.1) OR score < −1 the gene was classified as antagonistic in a particular pair and organ only if the score was determined to be significant at the chosen FDR (0.1) was the gene classified as significantly antagonistic The total number of DEGs was calculated by totaling any gene that showed significant differential expression (FDR < 0.1) in single 1 The percentage of all DEGs for a given pair and organ that were classified as synergistic additive or antagonistic was then calculated Data distribution was assumed to be normal age-matched and sex-matched animals were randomly assigned into each group Further information on research design is available in the Nature Portfolio Reporting Summary linked to this article The sequencing data generated during this study have been deposited in the Gene Expression Omnibus under accession number GSE224146. 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tissue tolerance VSIG4+ peritoneal macrophages induce apoptosis of double-positive thymocyte via the secretion of TNF-α in a CLP-induced sepsis model resulting in thymic atrophy The orchestrated cellular and molecular responses of the kidney to endotoxin define a precise sepsis timeline Cytokine synergy: an underappreciated contributor to innate anti-viral immunity Recombinant tumor necrosis factor induces procoagulant activity in cultured human vascular endothelium: characterization and comparison with the actions of interleukin 1 Tumor necrosis factor (cachectin) is an endogenous pyrogen and induces production of interleukin 1 Synergy in cytokine and chemokine networks amplifies the inflammatory response Tumour necrosis factors α and β inhibit virus replication and synergize with interferons Evidence for IFN-gamma as a mediator of the lethality of endotoxin and tumor necrosis factor-alpha IFN-γ/TNF-α synergism as the final effector in autoimmune diabetes: a key role for STAT1/IFN 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promoter element An endotoxin-induced serum factor that causes necrosis of tumors How TNF was recognized as a key mechanism of disease Regulation of tumour necrosis factor signalling: live or let die Association between tumour necrosis factor in serum and fatal outcome in patients with meningococcal disease Regulation of the pathophysiology of tumor necrosis factor Anti-cachectin/TNF monoclonal antibodies prevent septic shock during lethal bacteraemia Passive immunization against cachectin/tumor necrosis factor protects mice from lethal effect of endotoxin Targeting cytokines as a treatment for patients with sepsis: a lost cause or a strategy still worthy of pursuit Prevention of Jarisch–Herxheimer reactions by treatment with antibodies against tumor necrosis factor-α The effect of antibody against TNF alpha on cytokine response in Jarisch–Herxheimer reactions of louse-borne relapsing fever Phase I study of 24-hour continuous intravenous infusion of recombinant human tumor necrosis factor Reframing immune-mediated inflammatory diseases through signature cytokine hubs Immunodesign of experimental sepsis by cecal ligation and puncture Inducing experimental polymicrobial sepsis by cecal ligation and puncture Soumillon, M., Cacchiarelli, D., Semrau, S., van Oudenaarden A. & Mikkelsen, T. S. Characterization of directed differentiation by high-throughput single-cell RNA-seq. Preprint at bioRxiv https://doi.org/10.1101/003236 (2014) Use of a new adhesive film for the preparation of multi-purpose fresh-frozen sections from hard tissues Preparation of thin frozen sections from nonfixed and undecalcified hard tissues using Kawamoto’s film method (2020) Kaminow, B., Yunusov, D. & Dobin, A. STARsolo: accurate, fast and versatile mapping/quantification of single-cell and single-nucleus RNA-seq data. Preprint at https://doi.org/10.1101/2021.05.05.442755 (2021) SCANPY: large-scale single-cell gene expression data analysis Spatially informed cell-type deconvolution for spatial transcriptomics Quantitative single-cell RNA-seq with unique molecular identifiers sensitive and accurate tool for mapping RNA-seq reads to transcriptomes Qualimap: evaluating next-generation sequencing alignment data MultiQC: summarize analysis results for multiple tools and samples in a single report edgeR: a Bioconductor package for differential expression analysis of digital gene expression data Complex heatmaps reveal patterns and correlations in multidimensional genomic data circlize implements and enhances circular visualization in R Analysis framework and experimental design for evaluating synergy-driving gene expression limma powers differential expression analyses for RNA-sequencing and microarray studies Download references the University of Chicago Medicine Comprehensive Cancer Center (UCCCC) Janet D the University of Chicago Center for Interdisciplinary Study of Inflammatory Intestinal Disorders (C-IID; P30 DK42086) and funds from the Chicago Immunoengineering Innovation Center and the Pritzker School of Molecular Engineering at the University of Chicago Graduate School of Pharmaceutical Sciences and N.C.; cell-type abundance prediction analysis and M.S.; gene expression interaction scoring all authors; funding acquisition and supervision All other authors declare no competing interests Nature Immunology thanks the anonymous reviewers for their contribution to the peer review of this work. Primary Handling Editor: L. A. Dempsey, in collaboration with the Nature Immunology team. Peer reviewer reports are available Publisher’s note Springer Nature remains neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims in published maps and institutional affiliations Heatmaps showing the total numbers of up- (left) and down-regulated (right) genes across time post-LPS (columns) for each organ (rows) Normalized counts for indicated genes and organs (color) n = 2 biologically independent samples for PBMC 2 days Expression of sepsis biomarker genes (score) in each organ (rows) at each time point post-sublethal LPS injection (columns) Rows are ordered from top to bottom by high to low scores and by lymphoid and non-lymphoid tissues a, b, Measurements of rectal temperature (a) and survival (b) after LPS injection at sublethal (5 mg/kg) or lethal (15 mg/kg) doses (left, n = 4 biologically independent samples), or cecal ligation and puncture (CLP) surgeries leading to severe sepsis and sham control (Methods) (right Dot plots showing log2 fold-change in gene expression in tissues collected at 0.5 day after sublethal LPS injection (x-axis) or severe CLP (y-axis) relative to matching organs from untreated mice for LPS and mice after sham surgery for CLP Colored dots represent genes regulated in LPS only with FDR < 0.01 and absolute fold change > 2 (LPS-specific; blue) CLP only with FDR < 0.1 (CLP-specific; green) Heatmaps of differentially expressed genes (rows) from whole-tissue mRNA profiles ordered by k-means clustering and organ types (top colors) at 16 hours after injection with indicated recombinant cytokines used alone (a) Values are log2 fold-changes relative to matching organs from untreated Statistical analyses were performed with limma (FDR-adjusted p-value < 0.05 Sepsis biomarker score average (scaled by condition) across all 9 organs profiled in a and c in indicated recombinant cytokine conditions (x axis) Dashed line indicates one standard deviation absolute log2 fold-change values for all 258 genes identified as sepsis biomarker in the literature Numbers of genes (y axis) regulated in each tissue type by indicated cytokine pairs and composite singles Heatmap (left) of differentially expressed genes (rows) from whole-tissue mRNA profiles ordered by k-means clustering and organ types (top colors) at 16 hours after injection of indicated recombinant cytokine pairs Values are log2 fold-changes relative to matching Statistical analyses were performed with limma (FDR-adjusted p-value < 0.1) Genes synergistically or antagonistically regulated by the indicated recombinant cytokine pairs relative to matching single cytokines in at least of one of the 9 tissues profiled are indicated in orange and green Percentages (y axis) of differentially expressed genes in each tissue type displaying synergistic (orange) or antagonistic (green) in indicated cytokine pairs relative to matching single cytokines Dot plots of the observed (y axis) and calculated (x axis) pairwise cytokine interaction effects relative to matching single cytokines on DEGs (dots) in indicated organs (top) Percentages and absolute counts of DEGs classified as synergistic (orange) or antagonistic (green) upon pairwise cytokine injection relative to matching singles Log2 fold-changes (d-e) or normalized counts (f-g) for indicated tissues and genes with nonlinear regulation (orange antagonistic) in mice injected with indicated cytokines (d-e) or upon LPS or CLP sepsis (f-g) SEM (n = 3 biologically independent samples for liver: rTNF plus rIL-18 rTNF plus IFN-γ and colon: rTNF; n = 5 for CLP; n = 4 for other groups) Heatmaps of differentially expressed genes (rows) from whole-tissue mRNA profiles for each indicated organ ordered by k-means clustering at 16 hours after injection of indicated recombinant cytokines Statistical analyses were performed with limma (FDR-adjusted p-value < 0.05; absolute fold change > 2) Genes synergistically or antagonistically regulated by the indicated recombinant cytokine pairs relative to matching single cytokines are indicated in orange and green colors) at 0.5 day after sublethal LPS injection in wild-type (left) or Tnf − /− mice (right) Values are log2 fold-changes relative to matching organs from untreated mice for wild-type or LPS-treated wild-type mice for Tnf − /− Statistical analyses were performed with limma (FDR-adjusted p-value < 0.01 Percentages (x axis) of genes differentially expressed in tissues (rows) upon sublethal LPS injection in Tnf − /− mice (left) or mice treated with anti-TNF antibodies (1 h prior to LPS; right) that match the genes regulated by LPS in wild-type mice colors) at 0.5 day after cecal ligation and puncture (CLP) with pre-treatment with anti-TNF (right) or isotype control (left) antibodies Values are log2 fold-changes relative to matching organs from sham operated mice for CLP with isotype control antibodies or CLP operated mice for CLP with anti-TNF antibodies Statistical analyses were performed with limma (FDR-adjusted p-value < 0.1 Schematic overview of the analytical workflow to predict changes in cell type abundances during sepsis or upon recombinant cytokine injections from bulk Schematic overview of the method to computationally estimate the relative abundance of cell types in organs from treated (LPS control mice by combining cell type-specific gene sets and whole-tissue gene expression measurements Percentages (black bars; x axis) of the effects of LPS on cell type abundance scores across tissues (y axis) mirrored by at least one of the three cytokine pairs tested: TNF plus IL-18 Cell type abundance scores computed for indicated cell types (rows) and tissues (colors; top) upon injection of a sublethal dose of LPS in wild-type (left) or injection of indicated recombinant cytokine pairs (right) (columns) Black borders indicate significance (z-score > 1) Whole-mouse spatial transcriptomics (ST) data (a) from control and LPS conditions (columns) were magnified to only show kidney tissues Slc5a12 normalized expression was overlaid as cell type markers on a greyscale H&E image Bar plot (b) of average expression of indicated genes across all ST array spots covering indicated tissues the number of ST array spots covering kidney) Images (40X magnification; c) from TUNEL staining in liver from mice injected with LPS Bar graph (d) shows quantifications of TUNEL+ areas (µm2) per field of view Grey-scale H&E images from mouse kidney sections (n = 2) from PBS- (control) or LPS-treated mice processed for commercial spatial transcriptomics platform and overlaid with the numbers of genes (e) or UMIs (g) detected per spot or with spatial clusters annotated with known kidney histological regions (i) Violin plots show the matching distributions of the numbers of genes (f) and UMIs (h) per spot Spatial gene expression analysis (j) of indicated genes (rows) from control or LPS-treated mice (columns) overlaid on grey-scale H&E images from mouse kidney sections Bar graphs (k) show the mean expression of each gene (top) across spatial transcriptomics spots and replicate sections (n = 2 biologically independent samples) Cell type abundance scores computed for macrophages upon injection of a sublethal dose of LPS in wild-type (left) or injected with indicated recombinant cytokine pairs (right) (columns) Whole-mouse spatial transcriptomics (ST) analysis (b) of Marco mRNA levels overlaid on a greyscale H&E staining Shown are whole-mount sections and ST data from 5-weeks old mice injected with a sublethal dose of LPS (5 mg/kg) or left untreated as control Bar plot (c) of average expression of Marco across all ST array spots covering indicated tissues the number of ST array spots covering indicated tissues) Images (40X magnification; d) from F4/80 immunohistochemistry in thymus tissues from mice injected with LPS Bar graph (e) shows quantifications of F4/80+ areas per field of view (FOV) from (d) Cell type abundance scores computed for red blood cells upon injection of a sublethal dose of LPS in wild-type (left) or injected with indicated recombinant cytokine pairs (right) (columns) Flow cytometry analysis (g) of bone marrow erythrocytes from mice injected with a sublethal dose of LPS or indicated cytokines Bar graph (h) shows quantifications in absolute count per tissue (n = 4 biologically independent samples) Flow cytometry plots of gating strategy used for splenic B cells (i) and erythrocytes (j) Cell type abundance scores computed for indicated cell types (row) upon injection of a sublethal dose of LPS in wild-type (left) or indicated knockout animals pre-treated with indicated neutralizing antibodies (right) or injected with indicated recombinant cytokine pairs (center) (columns) Whole-tissue RNA-seq analysis of LPS or CLP sepsis from wild-type mice log2 fold-change in expression for all DEGs across the 13 organs measured from LPS-injected mice relative to controls (related to Fig List of sepsis biomarker genes published by Pierrakos and colleagues (from ref Enrichment analysis for genes in each topic from topic modeling (related to Fig Whole-tissue RNA-seq analysis of CLP sepsis from wild-type mice log2 fold-change in expression for all DEGs across indicated tissues from CLP mice at 6 (a) 12 (b) or 24 (c) hours after CLP surgeries relative to controls (related to Fig Whole-tissue RNA-seq analysis from mice injected with 6 singles or 15 pairs of recombinant cytokines log2 fold-change in expression for all DEGs across indicated tissues from mice injected with 6 recombinant cytokines used alone (a) in three pairwise combinations (b) or in other combinations (c) relative to untreated control tissues (related to Extended Data Fig log2 fold-change in expression for all DEGs across indicated tissues from LPS-injected mice (day 0.5) relative to controls (left) and row annotations indicating DEGs in at least one organ from mice injected with each of the 15 cytokine pairs tested (right; related to Fig Synergistic and antagonistic transcriptional effects of three cytokine pairs log2 fold-change in expression for all DEGs across indicated tissues from mice injected with indicated recombinant cytokine pairs relative to controls (left) and annotations indicating genes showing significant synergistic or antagonistic differential expression in pairs relative to matching single cytokines in at least of one of the nine tissues profiled (right; related to Extended Data Fig The effects of TNF perturbation on transcriptional states log2 fold-change in expression for all DEGs across indicated tissues from LPS-injected wild-type mice with or without pretreatment with TNF-neutralizing antibodies relative to control for LPS only or LPS with anti-TNF (related to Fig log2 fold-change in expression for all DEGs across indicated tissues from LPS-injected wild-type or Tnf−/− mice relative to control for wild-type or LPS-treated wild-type for Tnf−/− (related to Extended Data Fig log2 fold-change in expression for all DEGs across indicated tissues from wild-type Ifng−/− or Il1b−/− mice with or without pretreatment with TNF-neutralizing antibodies after CLP surgeries relative to sham-operated mice for CLP wild-type mice or CLP wild-type mice for indicated knockout mice after CLP surgeries (related to Fig log2 fold change in expression for all DEGs across indicated tissues from CLP mice with or without pretreatment with anti-TNF relative to control for CLP without pretreatment with anti-TNF or CLP mice for CLP with pretreatment with anti-TNF (related to Extended Data Fig Impact of LPS and recombinant cytokine pairs on 195 cell types across 9 organ types Relative cell abundance scores (Methods) across indicated tissues from wild-type mice injected with LPS at indicated time points or indicated recombinant cytokine pairs (related to Fig Download citation DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/s41590-023-01722-8 Anyone you share the following link with will be able to read this content: a shareable link is not currently available for this article Sign up for the Nature Briefing newsletter — what matters in science Editorial The Nuclear Regulation Authority has approved an extension of operations for the No 3 and 4 reactors of Kansai Electric Power Co.'s Takahama nuclear power plant in Fukui Prefecture The nuclear safety watchdog has given the green light to a 20-year extension of the service life of the two reactors which will reach their 40th anniversary next year The NRA’s decision has brought to eight the total units that have been permitted to keep running beyond the 40-year service period which is the in-principle limit set in the regulations a new rule to go into effect next year will allow aging reactors to operate beyond 60 years the safety risks associated with aging nuclear power plants are dangerously high and their continued operation should not be allowed which found no issues with critical equipment and decided that these reactors can operate without serious functional problems through 2045 if Kansai Electric manages them under careful maintenance plans The disastrous accident at the Fukushima No which is operated by Tokyo Electric Power Co. led to legal changes to set the service life of all nuclear reactors at 40 years with a provision that the service period may be extended for a maximum of 20 years just once Although the step was initially described as "extremely exceptional," all applications for permission to extend operations have been approved so far the legislation to promote nuclear power generation enacted last year includes a new system that excludes shutdown periods during inspections from the overall period of operation enabling reactors to continue running beyond 60 years Prime Minister Fumio Kishida’s administration decided to change the rule for the legal lifespan of reactors after only several months of deliberation The NRA swiftly approved the revision under the pressure of a timetable set by the Ministry of Economy This approach undermines the policy principle of separation of “promotion and regulation,” an important lesson from the devastating nuclear accident in 2011 The world's oldest operating nuclear reactors are still running in the United States and Switzerland according to the International Atomic Energy Agency The question is whether pushing ahead with the seemingly reckless policy change in a seismically active country is acceptable The nuclear accident 13 years ago should have brought home to us that a serious nuclear accident could jeopardize the nation's future While extending reactor operations may provide short-term economic benefits to power companies and consumers Even if safety measures are enhanced and old parts are replaced the reactor core itself cannot be replaced Since the designs of aging reactors are outdated there will be an increased risk of unexpected technical difficulties occurring in unforeseen situations such as large-scale natural disasters In the devastating earthquake that battered many communities in the Noto Peninsula on Jan troubles such as damage to transformers receiving external power occurred at Hokuriku Electric Power Co.’s Shika nuclear power plant located in a town on the western coast of the peninsula many buildings and infrastructure were seriously damaged with houses collapsing and roads becoming impassable exposing the difficulties of indoor sheltering and evacuation during a major nuclear accident Anxiety is growing among residents of communities hosting nuclear plants in areas with limited evacuation routes Nuclear power generation is still dogged by significant unresolved issues such as handling spent fuel and disposing of high-level waste The costs of safety measures are rising and nuclear power is losing its economic advantages to renewable energy the government began discussions on a new basic energy plan The policy of reducing the nation’s dependence on atomic energy as much as possible incorporated into the basic plan after the accident has been maintained even after the return of the Liberal Democratic Party to power and the government should avoid the path of reliance on aging nuclear power plants Kishida’s new nuclear policy revives thorny old questions Kansai Electric Power has announced it will apply for regulatory approval to extend the operating life of Takahama units 3 and 4 The company has also announced plans to replace the steam generators at the two pressurised water reactor units requiring amongst other things a special inspection to verify the integrity of reactor pressure vessels and containment vessels after 35 years of operation The company said it has carried out the special inspections and evaluations of the two units and has not found any issues likely to cause problems if the operating period is to be extended to 60 years It has therefore decided to proceed with applying to the Nuclear Regulation Authority (NRA) for an extension Kansai said it plans to apply for approval from the Fukui prefecture and the town of Takahama to proceed with replacing the units' steam generators It plans to carry out the work during scheduled outages Prior to the March 2011 accident at the Fukushima Daiichi plant Japan's nuclear generating capacity had provided around 30% of the country's electricity the country has 33 nuclear power reactors classed as operable but only 10 reactors have since received clearance from the NRA to restart since new regulatory requirements were introduced in 2013 Takahama 3 restarted commercial operation in 2016 Another 17 reactors have applied to restart nuclear energy provided just 7.2% of the country's electricity Prime Minister Fumio Kishida said Japan should work to restart its idled nuclear power reactors as well as considering extending their operating lives and called for the maximum use of nuclear over the coming winter to counter possible electricity shortages Takahama 1 and 2 - both 780 MWe (net) pressurised water reactors - entered commercial operation in 1974 and 1975 respectively while units 3 and 4 both began commercial operation in 1985 on Friday rebooted a nuclear reactor at its Takahama power plant in central Japan's Fukui Prefecture for the first time in 12 years making it the oldest operating reactor in Japan The operator plans to restart power generation and transmission at the No 1 reactor on Wednesday before resuming commercial operation on Aug which started commercial operation 48 years ago went offline in January 2011 for regular inspection and remained so following the Fukushima nuclear crisis triggered by the earthquake and tsunami in March of that year The reboot comes after the Nuclear Regulation Authority gave the green light in 2016 for the reactor to operate beyond the 40-year service period The reactor was originally scheduled to restart around early June Three out of four reactors at the Takahama power station are now operating The reactor is also scheduled to restart in September Of the more than 40 commercial reactors nationwide A leak of steam from a pipe was discovered at unit 1 of Japan’s Takahama NPP in Fukui prefecture as well as increased amounts of leaking cooling water at another location and nobody was injured and the plant reduced power output by 40% determine the causes citing plant operator Kansai Electric Power Company Steam was found leaking from the pipe that connects to a pump at the reactor A worker carrying out inspections at the turbine building found the leak and stopped the pump which sends cooling water to power generation equipment The Fukui prefectural government said there were no changes in the measurements at radiation monitoring posts in areas surrounding the plant A leak of steam from a pipe was discovered at unit 1 of Japan’s Takahama NPP in Fukui prefecture as well as increased amounts of leaking cooling water at another location Kansai Electric in November 2023 applied to the Nuclear Regulation Authority (NRA) to continue operating the 826 MWe pressurised water reactor after it reaches 50 years of operation in November 2024 Kansai Electric has submitted changes to the plant's safety regulations including plans for the inspection and maintenance of the reactor for the next 10 years Japan enacted a law allowing power utilities to operate nuclear reactors for more than 60 years The law will come into effect in June 2025 Image: Takahama nuclear power plant in Fukui prefecture on Friday rebooted its nearly 50-year-old No 2 reactor at its Takahama nuclear plant in central Japan for the first time since 2011 becoming the 12th unit to be restarted in the country since the Fukushima accident The reboot in Fukui Prefecture means the Osaka-based utility has resumed operating all of its seven reactors after stricter safety standards were introduced following a nuclear meltdown crisis that occurred at the Fukushima Daiichi complex triggered by an earthquake and tsunami in 2011 2 unit began commercial operations in 1975 and is the second oldest in Japan following the 48-year-old No which was restarted in July after a 12-year halt The restart of the aging reactors comes as Prime Minister Fumio Kishida's government stresses reliance on nuclear power generation in a bid to cut carbon emissions and ensure stable sources of energy Japan's parliament in May enacted a bill to allow nuclear reactors in the country to be operated beyond the current limit of 60 years Kansai Electric plans to restart power generation and transmission at the No 2 reactor on Wednesday before resuming commercial operations on Oct Aging Takahama nuclear reactor restarted after 12-yr halt 1st round of treated water release off Fukushima plant completed Japan nuclear watchdog halts Tsuruga reactor safety assessment again He studied architecture at the University of Tokyo In 1990 he founded "Kengo Kuma & Associates" and extended the study to Europe (Paris has taught as a visiting professor and holder at the universities of Columbia Notable projects include Japan National Stadium (2019) Kengo Kuma proposes architecture that opens up new relationships between nature His major publications include Zen Shigoto(The complete works IwanamiShinsho) and many others.Main Awards:· 2011 The Minister of Education Science and Technology's Art Encouragement Prize for "Yusuhara Wooden Bridge Museum."· 2010 Mainichi Art Award for “Nezu Museum.”· 2009 "Decoration Officier de L'Ordre des Arts et des Lettres" (France).· 2008 Energy Performance + Architecture Award (France) Bois Magazine International Wood Architecture Award (France).· 2002 Spirit of Nature Wood Architecture Award (Finland).· 2001 Togo Murano Award for “Nakagawa-machi Bato Hiroshige Museum.”· 1997 Architectural Institute of Japan Award for “Noh Stage in the Forest” AIA DuPONT Benedictus Award for “Water/Glass” (USA) Archive Architecture A reactor at Kansai Electric Power Co.'s Takahama nuclear power station in Japan's Fukui Prefecture was automatically halted Monday after an alert went off warning of a rapid decrease in the number of neutrons within the unit adding that there has been no indication of the incident causing environmental contamination according to the Nuclear Regulation Authority Abnormalities were picked up by at least two of the four neutron detectors installed outside the reactor vessel It was the first automatic shutdown of a reactor since the No 3 unit at the same plant was halted in 1988 due to a similar warning The Fukui prefectural government said the incident could have been caused by a problem with the neutron detectors or a falling control rod Control rods inside the reactor are used to control nuclear chain reactions by absorbing neutrons No abnormality was detected when Kansai Electric conducted maintenance work on the detectors on Thursday 4 following regular inspections and resumed commercial operations on Dec It had been halted automatically in 2016 due to a different problem The seaside plant has four reactors and faces the Sea of Japan Acquittal upheld for ex-TEPCO execs over Fukushima nuclear crisis became the first Japanese units to be granted a licence extension beyond 40 years under revised post-Fukushima regulations but are out of service pending the completion of a bunkered backup control centre Kansai has said it plans to restart the units In October, utility Kyushu Electric Power applied to extend the operational lifetime of Units 1 and 2 at the Sendai nuclear power station in southwestern Japan by 20 years to 60 years Reports in Japan have said the industry ministry is considering extending the lifespan of nuclear reactors to beyond the current 60 years with ambitions to finalise the plan by the end of the year The plan is part of the government’s efforts to cut carbon emissions and ensure stable energy supplies threatened by Russia’s war in Ukraine All the country’s commercial reactors were shut down following the 2011 Fukushima disaster and are not allowed to restart until they have passed stringent new safety checks Japan has said it will restart more idled nuclear plants and look at developing next-generation reactors as well as extending the lifespan of existing reactors in a major policy shift on nuclear energy a decade after Fukushima The change of direction has highlighted Japan’s struggle to secure a stable energy supply as a result of the war in Ukraine and higher energy costs Japan has seen 10 commercial nuclear reactors return to service since Fukushima-Daiichi According to the Tokyo-based Japan Atomic Industrial Forum (Jaif) the reactors that have returned to service are Genkai-3 Jaif told NucNet that only five of those are operating The other six are undergoing inspections and safety updates My great-grandfather emigrated from Japan in the early 1900s and was running a fruit and vegetable stand at Pike Place Market when Japan attacked Pearl Harbor on Dec he was arrested by the FBI with no explanation separated from his wife and five children and detained for nearly two years and his family usually had few details about where he was being held He and his family were among the 120,000 people of Japanese descent forced from their West Coast homes and imprisoned in desolate desert camps during World War II I ache thinking about the barbed wire fences and armed guard towers that surrounded our families It’s a story my cousins and I have been immersed in nearly our entire lives Most of us don’t have strong memories of our grandparents but over the years we’ve pieced together the devastating toll this piece of history had on our community Yet we know it’s a story at risk of being forgotten As America marks the 80th anniversary Saturday of the infamous Executive Order 9066 that launched the mass incarceration efforts are underway to preserve these painful memories for future generations of Americans before they fade with time The history remains difficult for many Japanese Americans to talk about but our shared goal of preserving the past has kept the community close It’s not just a Japanese American story It’s a deeply American one that offers lessons in protecting civil rights especially during times of crisis when hysteria fear and prejudices can too easily overturn them One of the most well-known organizations still tackling this mission is Densho a nonprofit founded in Seattle in 1996 that records oral testimonies of those incarcerated during WWII But with each Day of Remembrance that passes fewer incarcerees are around to recount their experiences 75% of Japanese Americans interviewed for the online archives have died It’s left many of us to wonder how we’re going to keep the story alive “It’s a progression in many ways,” said Tom Ikeda “The nisei generation [second-generation Japanese Americans] really emphasized not forgetting the stories or third-generation] found ways to then preserve them And in terms of how the story will exist in the future Most of my great-aunts and -uncles are gone The only person in my family who has firsthand camp memories is my uncle He was 6 when he was taken to Manzanar in central California one of 10 long-term incarceration camps throughout the West and in Arkansas Some Japanese Americans memorialized their experiences — my great-aunt, Auntie Kim, testified to a government commission after being released from camp and my uncle, Ron, wrote a book — but many others did not It still stings I never had a chance to meet my grandparents or hear in their own words how they remembered a time when they were considered a threat My cousins and I question how they got through it “We were scared,” Auntie Kim testified in 1981 to the Commission on Wartime Relocation and Internment of Civilians whose research led to the establishment of the Civil Liberties Act of 1988 The law included a public government apology and distributed redress payments of $20,000 to each person incarcerated “He did not know why he was imprisoned; neither did we All we knew was that other men had been taken too We were never able to find out why.” Years later, in 2002, my family learned it was because he was a leader in the Japanese American community according to a 132-page Department of Justice file on my great-grandfather Auntie Kim and three other siblings were forced from their Seattle home They were first taken to the Puyallup Assembly Center then called “Camp Harmony” and now known as the grounds of the Washington State Fair They and more than 7,000 others were kept in cramped stalls normally used for farm animals “They had a lot of nerve calling it Camp Harmony,” Uncle Mas, my great-uncle, says in a Densho interview from 1998 They were later moved to the Minidoka War Relocation Center a camp in south-central Idaho primarily made up of Japanese Americans from Seattle Portland and other parts of the Pacific Northwest Minidoka has since been declared a National Historic Site the family’s relationships deteriorated in camp My grandfather and Uncle Mas volunteered to join the U.S My grandfather joined the Army’s Military Intelligence Service as a translator and Uncle Mas joined the 442nd Regimental Combat Team a unit almost entirely composed of nisei soldiers The unit went on to become one of the most decorated in the history of the American military “I don’t know which was worse — being locked up in camp or going off to war,” Uncle Mas says in the Densho interview barbed wires aren’t very inviting.” Many members of the 442 never made it back home who was killed in France during a battle to rescue a Texas battalion Auntie Kim said she still couldn’t shake feelings of bitterness “I think perhaps we did not speak out enough then; that we should have protested our treatment,” she testified “So I feel I must speak out now.” The work to preserve these stories continues or fourth-generation Japanese Americans like myself a young Japanese American artist is creating a visual memory map using camp artifacts are also working on introducing augmented reality to a Bellevue Arts Museum mural of nisei farmers during and before the war allowing some of the farmers to “come to life,” he said but are talking about their experiences in Bellevue during the war … in the voices of interviews we collected about 25 years ago,” Ikeda said “We realized the next generation wouldn’t have access to the face-to-face storytelling we were able to do,” he added “So by preserving them and watching people reuse these stories now is very the shattering experience of having their loyalty questioned had long-lasting impacts compelling some Japanese Americans to shy away from their Japanese culture never pushed their children to go to Japanese language school because they wanted them to be “American,” my mom has said “It’s large-scale trauma that was largely brushed under the rug,” my cousin Aimee said recently “I’m so sure that affected Grandma and Grandpa I remember my dad saying stuff like they were told to blend in growing up — aka act less Asian … That kind of stuff can eat at your identity.” Some families have lost a lot of those ties to Japanese culture while others have worked hard to retain them and he and my mom were determined to pass on traditions summertime Buddhist events that commemorate one’s ancestors I played basketball in Asian American youth leagues these were all things I thought of as general childhood fun Yet my oldest cousin recently wondered if our parents’ desire to keep us involved in Japanese American activities stemmed from an urge to reclaim and be proud of a culture regarded with suspicion and hostility by the U.S government and many Americans 80 years ago Even now we’re reminded our attempts at promoting culture and preserving history can be overlooked “Here’s another example of these large entities saying ‘We have to do this for the benefit of society’ and ‘Sure get out of the way so we can do this,'” Ikeda said “It’s more than just the microissue of what’s happening — it’s about how historically communities of color have been treated.” My family members have described Minidoka as a dusty barren desert that still raises difficult memories Their time there makes the space still feel sacred I know young and future generations will create new ways of telling the story of WWII incarceration Stay secure and make sure you have the best reading experience possible by upgrading your browser Meanjin his Taiwanese husband and DPP officials as ‘an alternative democratic exchange’ Subscriptions start at just $5 a month — which goes directly towards our writers’ fees Subscribe Please enable JS and disable any ad blocker Privacy Policy | About Our Ads Longtime radio personality, Charly Espina Takahama today, announced her planned retirement after 46 years in the industry, effective May 28. “To say she will be missed seems like such an understatement,” said Sherri Grimes, Vice President and General Manager of Maui Radio Operations at Pacific Media Group.  “Charly is one of those rare people who instantly became a friend instead of just a coworker. There are no words to truly reflect how much we will miss working with her.”   The current morning show co-host of 99.9 KISS FM on Maui began her career in 1975 at a Christian radio show with Kalihi Union Church in Honolulu called “Friends.”  It was there where Charly had her first taste of being on the radio, and was “hooked.”  She went on to purse a degree in communications with an emphasis in radio at Washington State University.  While in college, Charly started out in news and eventually did a morning show on the campus radio station, KUGR.  “Radio became my passion. I also knew that I wanted to return to Hawaiʻi. At the time, there weren’t many female broadcasters who could say names such as Kalanianaʻole or Kalākaua,” she recalled. After graduating from Wazzu in 1979, Charly did return to the islands, and landed a position with “Space Station KULA,” FM 92.3 and AM 940.  It was there where Rick O’Shea, known then on the air as “The Wiz,” gave Charly her first paid position in radio.  “We pretended to broadcast from Space.  I was Charly with a News Beam from Space Station Kula!” she said. In early 1980, the FM band was sold to what is now KSSK; and the AM band became KDEO and was bought by Ron “Whodaguy” Jacobs who kept Charly on staff. “I was able to work with and learn from radio legends including RJ, Kamasami Kong, Keala Kai, Stephen B. Williams, and a very young Ed Kanoi,” she said.  While there, Charly did the news on the morning show and was RJ’s personal assistant.  Eventually, when the station shifted formats to The Western Most Country Station in the Nation, she did a morning show with Kanoi.  In 1987, Charly moved to KPOI 98 Rock’s Morning Show. While there, she jokingly earned the name the “Black Widow of Radio.” “I had so many different morning radio partners – I think it was seven in all, the most memorable was B-Rock Whaley,” she said. Less than a decade later, in 1996, Hawaiian music became her destiny. “KCCN FM 100 was making waves as Honolulu’s Contemporary Hawaiian Music Station, and I loved being part of it,” said Charly. While there, Charly partnered on the morning show with Brickwood Galuteria, then with Billy V and Pipi. “We made it to No. 2 in the ratings, right behind Perry and Price. FM100 was in its hey day… It was also there that we starred on K-5’s Heineken Hot Hawaiian Nights. It was on this show that my then boyfriend, originally from Lānaʻi, proposed to me,” she said. On Oʻahu, she was known as Charly Espina, and on Maui she became Charly Espina Takahama after getting married in 2003 to Mark Takahama.  She started with Pacific Media Group that same year, first on KPOA with Alakaʻi, and later in 2008 on 99.9 Kiss FM, where she has been ever since.  Again, her nickname “Black Widow of Radio” returned as she co-hosted with multiple partners, eventually coming full circle to close her career beside radio partner Ed Kanoi.  She reflected on the last 13 years at 99.9 Kiss FM saying, “I love our Kiss FM listeners, they are fun, funny, and run the spectrum from youngsters still in school to young parents, to the working community, to kupuna. Hopefully we have been able to wake up our listeners with stories of interest and lots of fun with our daily Impossible Question.” While mornings are fun, Charly said she certainly won’t miss “dragging” herself out of bed every morning at 4 a.m. “I will of course, miss working with Ed and chatting with our listeners over the phone and by text,” she said.  As she enters retirement, Charly said, “I really want to give the next generation the opportunity to experience all the joy I’ve had in my life doing a radio show.” “I think that what I’m proudest of in my career, is the opportunity I’ve had to teach and share my passion for the broadcasting business. When I was at 98 Rock, I started an internship program and taught others not just about the technical end of radio (which has changed over the years by leaps and bounds) but also how to relate to people while on the air. Our job as broadcasters is to have fun.  You can’t ask for a better job than that,” she said.  Her proudest moment in Maui radio, she said, was interviewing her own daughter, Kayci Okazaki, who was selected as one of the island’s “Hometown Heroes.”   “She is an RN in the Emergency Room’s night shift at Maui Memorial Medical Center. I am so proud of her and what she has done on the front lines,” said Charly. For the past 18+ years, Charly has also served as a Marketing Consultant for many businesses here on Maui, working with radio advertising campaigns for more than 50 different companies, and spearheading the Pacific Media Group Job Fairs and Employer’s Hotline programs until 2019.  “She’s had so many brilliant and creative ideas and suggestions,” said Grimes.  “Her work truly made a lasting impact, and one that will be part of our industry in many ways.”  Charly’s plans in retirement include helping her husband babysit and enjoying family life.  “We have 12 grandkids with lots of potential for more. I would also like to possibly return to canoe paddling, and maybe take up sewing or some type of hobby. And of course, we cannot wait to travel again. We love visiting new places and exploring the world.”  “It’s now her day, every day, to enjoy with Mark, her children and grandchildren,” said Grimes.  “I’m sure we’ll now hear her on-air trying to win prizes or following us at remote broadcasts to see what we’re giving away.  All joking aside, get out your suitcases, sewing machine, canoe paddle and gardening tools.  Enjoy!” Kengo Kuma & Associates designs a visitor center and café that overlooks the Tottori Sand Dunes, using wood abundantly in a hybrid structure of cross-laminated timber and reinforced concrete. Named Tottori Takahama Café, it has a cross-laminated timber exterior and a sculptural pergola that provide a warm texture that blends in with the surrounding sand dunes. Envisioned as a “staircase to the sky” as Kengo Kuma states, the structure is an homage to Tottori, which is well-known for folk crafts (“Mingei”) culture, and interior elements incorporate local craftsmanship. The sand dunes are part of San’in Kaigan Geopark, which is part of The UNESCO Global Geoparks. The café’s chairs are designed with cross-laminated timber, while light pendants are made of Washi paper sprinkled with local sand. The bathroom sinks are made by Nakai-gama, a Tottori Mingei pottery workshop, which uses a beautiful combination of green and black glazing. Project: Tottori Takahama CaféArchitects: Kengo Kuma & AssociatesLead Architect: Kengo KumaDesign Team: Minoru Yokoo, Taichi Kuma, Hirono Yamamoto, and Yoo ShihoPhotographers: Kawasumi-Kobayashi Kenji Photograph Office Input your search keywords and press Enter. You can see how this popup was set up in our step-by-step guide: https://wppopupmaker.com/guides/auto-opening-announcement-popups/ Born in Tokyo in 1941. Takahama Graduated from the University of California, Berkeley. Joined the Yomiuri Shimbun and served as Washington correspondent from 1971 to 1976, reporting epoch-making events in postwar history, such as the Okinawa Reversion Agreement, the Lockheed bribery scandal, and the Watergate scandal. As a staff reporter and editor in Yomiuri’s political department from 1976 to 1998, Mr. Takahama was assigned to cover the Ministries of Foreign Affairs and Defense, the National Diet, the ruling party and the Prime Minister’s Office. In 1992, he joined the Yomiuri Research Institute as Senior Fellow (U.S.-Japan relations). Twitter FacebookInstagram Newsletter Stay up to date with all activities and opportunities Architecture firm Kengo Kuma and Associates (KKAA) has designed a cafe and observation tower to overlook the Tottori Sand Dunes these dunes stretch for nine miles and provide inspiration for the structure Described by the firm as a “staircase to the sky,” the Tottori Takahama Café is a hybrid structure made from cross-laminated timber and reinforced concrete modern design that also blends into its natural surroundings The two-story structure is separated into the ground-floor cafe and an upper-level observatory accessed by an exterior staircase The sloped roof terminates in a pergola that provides filtered shade to visitors who sip their drinks on the roof terrace and take in the beauty of the scenery both the interior and exterior exude warmth and blend into the sandy dunes Always conscious of how to incorporate local culture KKAA introduced Tottori's well-known folk crafts (mingei) into the interior This local craftsmanship can be seen in the chairs made from cross-laminated timber and the lighting fixtures made from washi paper sprinkled with local sand Green and black glazed sinks in the bathroom created by a Tottori Mingei pottery workshop visually pleasing place for visitors to refresh themselves while basking in the natural beauty of the Tottori Sand Dunes Celebrating creativity and promoting a positive culture by spotlighting the best sides of humanity—from the lighthearted and fun to the thought-provoking and enlightening By subscribing, you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy Bulgarian-born, London-based designer Kiko Kostadinov is renowned for his subversive eye. From ASICS sneakers to menswear inspired by the Ottoman Empire everything Kostadinov delivers is a twist to the norm Debuted during Milan Design Week, Kostadinov presents a body of editions as part of Paradisoterrestre‘s catalog each informed by the works in the legendary Japanese designer Kazuhide Takahama’s “Naeko” collection The presentation centers around Takahama’s Naeko lamp which was designed in 1984 for the entrepreneur Dino Gavina suspending from the ceiling with no separation to look as if it grows out of the wall