Japan Atomic Energy Agency Seeks to Add Medical Radioisotope Production to Joyo Reactor Goals
The Japan Atomic Energy Agency (JAEA) has filed a request with the Nuclear Regulation Authority to expand the goals of the Joyo experimental fast reactor in Oarai, Ibaraki Prefecture, to include the production of medical radioisotopes.
The agency has high hopes for actinium-225, a radioactive substance that could potentially serve as a cancer treatment drug. JAEA officials envision a therapy where a drug containing actinium-225 is injected into a patient's body to target and eliminate cancer cells.
This approach to actinium-225 production using a fast reactor is unique and has few parallels worldwide. JAEA aims to manufacture the radioisotope by the end of fiscal year 2026.
In February 2023, JAEA and the National Cancer Center Japan signed a collaboration agreement to research and develop cancer therapy using actinium-225. While therapeutic trials of the radiation therapy are ongoing in many countries, the limited global supply of actinium-225 restricts treatment access to approximately 3,000 patients annually.
The Joyo reactor, a compact experimental facility designed for developing plutonium-fueled fast reactors, began operation in 1977 but has been offline since 2007 due to equipment failures. JAEA aims to reactivate the Joyo around the middle of fiscal year 2026 and is currently completing the necessary formalities to obtain prior approval from authorities in Ibaraki Prefecture and the town of Oarai.