Optical equipment maker Mach Corp. has announced that the radiation- resistant camera it has been developing is ready for practical use. The Yokohama-based company, which has a branch office in Minami-Soma, said that the International Atomic Energy Agency had expressed its intention to procure as many as 1,500 of the cameras.

　南相馬市に事業所を置く光学機器開発マッハコーポレーション（横浜市）は、開発を進める耐放射線カメラが実用段階に入ったことを発表した。国際原子力機関（ＩＡＥＡ）が１５００台規模で調達意向を示しているという。

　The company began developing the camera because decommissioning of the Fukushima No. 1 nuclear power plant has been hampered by the extremely high radiation levels inside containment vessels. The foreign-produced cameras that are often used at nuclear power plants are expected to break down within a few hours to a day after being placed in the containment vessels. However, the newly developed camera can withstand 2,000 times more radiation, so theoretically, it could last more than a year under such conditions.

　マッハ社によると、開発のきっかけは東京電力福島第１原発内部の極めて高い線量が廃炉作業を阻むことだった。現在、原発施設でよく使われている海外製カメラを格納容器に入れた場合、数時間から１日程度で動作不良に陥ることが予想される。しかし、今回開発した製品はその２０００倍以上の累積線量まで耐えられ、理論上はカメラの寿命を１年以上に延ばせるという。

　IAEA Director General Rafael Grossi got his hands on one of these cameras from the company during his visit to Japan in July. He reportedly expressed his hope to procure 1,500 more if the camera's performance is confirmed in testing. The camera is expected to be used not only for the U.N. body's monitoring activities to prevent the military use of nuclear materials, but also for quickly detecting abnormalities by installing them in nuclear facilities around the world.

　ＩＡＥＡのラファエル・グロッシ事務局長は７月に来日した際、このカメラ１台を同社から仕入れた。実証試験で性能を確認できれば、さらに１５００台調達する希望を示したという。核物質の軍事利用を防止する監視活動に加え、世界中の原子力施設にカメラを設置し、異常を速やかに把握するなどの活用が期待されている。

　Decommissioning work in Fukushima under extremely harsh conditions, such as to remove melted fuel debris, will start in earnest in the future, and demand is expected to increase for radiation-resistant cameras. Since the technology for radiation-resistant cameras is similar to that for satellite cameras, the market will likely continue to grow.

　第１原発の廃炉作業は今後、溶け落ちた核燃料（デブリ）の取り出しなど過酷な環境での作業が本格化し、耐放射線カメラの必要性が高まる見込み。技術は人工衛星に搭載するカメラとも共通するため、市場は拡大する可能性が高い。

　Mach Corp. intends to procure all components except sensors and lenses mainly in the Hamadori region in Fukushima Prefecture. The company is already building out its mass production system, with factories in Iwaki and Minami-Soma now producing and assembling camera circuit boards and bodies.

　マッハ社はセンサーとレンズを除くほぼ全ての部品を主に浜通り地域で調達する考えだ。既にいわき市や南相馬市内の工場がカメラの基板やボディーの製作、組み立てを手がけており、量産態勢を築きつつある。

　"We'd like to not only to contribute to the nuclear power plant's decommissioning, but also supply the world from Fukushima with safety systems that monitor nuclear reactors, so as to prevent a nuclear plant accident from happening again," said Mach Corp. CEO Goubun Akatsuka in an interview in Fukushima.

（　Translated by The Japan News　）

　福島市で取材に応じたマッハ社の赤塚剛文社長は「廃炉に貢献するだけでなく、二度と原発事故を起こさないため、原子炉を監視する安全システムを福島から世界に供給したい」と語った。

　【　２０２３年１０月１４日付・福島民友新聞掲載　】