Dr Sueo Machi, the Senior Managing Director of the Japan Atomic Industrial Forum (JAIF), left JAIF and was appointed to one of three Standing Commissioners of the Atomic Energy Commission (AEC) of Japan as of 6 January 2004. But, he will continue to function as the FNCA National Coordinator of Japan. Leading the Asia Co-operation Center (ACC) of JAIF during the past 3 years responsible for the implementation of the co-operative projects within the framework of the Forum for Nuclear Co-operation in Asia (FNCA), Dr Machi has been making efforts to envisage supplementary co-operation for synergy between RCA and FNCA during the past years. Dr Machi was the RCA Coordinator during 1980-1983 and served as the DDG-RI (Department of Research and Isotopes) for almost 9 years beginning from 1999.

The AEC of Japan currently consists of five Commissioners. Among them, four Commissioners were newly appointed in early January of this year, except Ms Noriko Kimoto who is a well-known mass media commentator. The newly appointed AEC Standing Commissioners are; Dr Shunsuke Kondo (Chairman, former professor of the University of Tokyo), Mr Shinzo Saito (Vice Chairman, former President of JAERI) and Dr Sueo Machi (Commissioner, former Senior Managing Director of JAIF). Mr Hajimu Maeda, Special Adviser of Kansai Electric Power Company, was also appointed to the AEC Commissioner but as a non-Standing Commissioner like Ms Noriko Kimoto.