核データ部会部会長 更田 豊治郎
２０世紀は科学技術が最も目覚ましく進歩した世紀でしたが、地球環境保全の ために全世界が合意できるような具体的活動方針が煮詰まらないまま２１世紀 を迎えました。この活動方針の中で原子力発電* を一層発展させることが最良 の選択であることは我々には明解なことだと思われます。 (*原子力平和利用 では発電以外にひろい重要分野がありその活用も必要ですが、ここでは論述の 簡明のため原子力発電としました。) しかし、一部の根強い反対もあり、国内 の合意も容易でなく、世界的合意はさらに困難なのが現実です。
原子力発電に対する世界的逆風の原因には公正な科学技術的観点とは次元を異 にするものが大きな部分を占めているために問題を一層難しくしている所があ りますが、我々としては公正な科学技術的評価を示し、理解を広める努力をす るほかありません。同時に、核燃料サイクルを含めた原子力発電体系について、 安全性・経済性・核拡散抵抗性などが一層高い技術体系の開発が必要です。現 在の技術レベルでも公衆の受容が得られてしかるべき実績があるとは思ってい ますが、より優れた技術体系を開発することによって、公衆の理解も一層容易 になると思われます。妥当な投資（人と予算）が行われれば、より高性能の新 型原子炉を開発する余地は充分に大きいと思います。
新しい現象の確認には関係する物理量について新しい測定が必要ですが、必ず しも精度の高い絶対値（数学の意味でなく、相対値でない独立性の高い値）が 必要でない場合の方が新奇性の価値が高いような感じもあり、そういった狙い が研究者への誘因が強いような所があります。核データの場合には利用目的か ら要求される絶対値の精度・信頼度が必要とされ、それを満たす信頼度の高い データが得られたことだけから、何か新しい発見のかけらが出てくるようなも のではないので、アカデミズムからの関心が低いきらいがあります。そのよう な観点からも、核データ活動自体の成果は見かけ上地味でありますが、原子力 技術体系の性能と信頼度を根本から支える意義と価値の高さが認識されるべき だと思います。さらに、核データ活動は利用側からの要請に応えるだけでなく、 新しい技術体系発展の引き金となる可能性も秘めていると思います。また、素 粒子論・高エネルギー物理に重点が傾く一方で低エネルギー核物理で充分には 解明されていない少なからぬ問題が残されたままになっているような所への切 り口となる可能性も核データ活動の一部に期待したいと思います。
科学技術の進歩や人間活動の発展と共に、生活レベルの向上や平均寿命の伸長 などの具体的改善が達成されている一方で、地球環境問題のみならず多くの分 野で倫理の低下あるいは混迷が顕在化しています。一昨年のＪＣＯ事故は極め て初歩的な次元の低い人為的事故であり、原子力界全体の倫理レベルまでが問 われたのは残念の限りです。科学技術の発展自体に疑念を持つ人もおり、青少 年の理科離れなどが言われていますが、原子力のような高度な技術体系は多く の人達の膨大な努力によって成り立っており、その一翼を担う核データ活動で も専門家精神・職人かたぎを高揚して、その意義や面白さを訴え、当部会に学 生会員を含む若手会員が増えるようになることを期待致します。
（日本海洋科学振興財団理事長）
Charles Dunford (NNDC)
The United States National Nuclear Data Center (NNDC) sends New Year's greetings to our Japanese colleagues. We are looking forward to participating in an outstanding nuclear data conference (ND2001), which will be held in Tsukuba in October of this year.
The NNDC has a long history of compilation and dissemination of nuclear data. The center originated in the late nineteen forties as part of the Brookhaven Fast Chopper Group. Its most famous products were the "Barn Books" which all nuclear scientists and engineers used in their work. In the intervening years the scope of its responsibilities expanded from its origins in neutron reaction data to include non-neutron reaction data and nuclear structure and radioactive decay data. Today, the NNDC is the focal point of United States nuclear data activities and the US point of contact for international collaborations in nuclear data.
The NNDC staff compiles, evaluates, and disseminates nuclear data as part of US and international collaborations such as the IAEA-sponsored Nuclear Reaction Data Center Network and the Nuclear Structure and Decay Data Network, and the NEA-sponsored Working Party on Evaluation Cooperation. In addition, the NNDC provides the secretariat for the US Cross Section Evaluation Working Group, which produces the ENDF/B library of evaluated nuclear data.
The nuclear databases maintained by the NNDC have been available electronically since 1986. The databases contain bibliographic, experimental and evaluated nuclear data, which have been obtained through national and international collaborations. Publications produced by the NNDC include Neutron Cross Sections, Nuclear Data Sheets, and Nuclear Wallet Cards.
The NNDC looks forward to serving our colleagues engaged in nuclear research for the betterment of mankind in the new millennium.
Mark A. KELLETT (OECD NEA Data Bank)
The Nuclear Data Services section of the NEA Data Bank wish all members of the nuclear data community a very Happy and prosperous New Year and hope that the incoming century continues to show the same progression as the outgoing.
The NEA are currently working on the release of the latest version of the Joint Evaluated File (JEF), now renamed the Joint Evaluated Fission and Fusion file (JEFF) due to the combination of the former JEF file with the European Fusion File (EFF). The working groups continue to meet twice yearly in a combination of separate and plenary sessions. The General Purpose file (JEFF-3.0) is undergoing preliminary benchmarking within the JEFF community and is expected for open release later this year. Special Purpose files are being prepared and in particular the Decay Data and Fission Yield file is making good progress and will contain decay data for approximately 3500 nuclei.
The NEA also continues to be the central point for data collection and dissemination for NEA member countries within the Network of Reaction Data Centres, a world-wide co-operation. Within the four main centres the collection of all data relevant to the EXFOR and CINDA databases are collected and shared. Experimentalists in Japan are encouraged to make their measured data available to the EXFOR system by contacting the NEA <mailto:kellett@nea.fr>.
The NEA web site
http://www.nea.fr/html/dbdataoffers direct free access, upon registration, to our online databases of bibliographic information (CINDA), experimental data (EXFOR) and also to evaluated data (EVA), this latter database contains all the main evaluated nuclear data files from around the world. Also available, within the Computer Program Services section
http://www.nea.fr/html/dbprogare processed application libraries and data from integral experiments.
We can also offer advice on the use of data and its availability, should our web site not provide the information necessary.
D. Muir and V. Pronyaev (IAEA Nuclear Data Section)
The Nuclear Data Section of the International Atomic Energy Agency would like to thank the nuclear data community of Japan for their increasing contribution in the international nuclear data projects. As the result of this work, EXFOR, the database of experimental nuclear reaction cross sections now contains more than 8000 sets of data measured in institutes, laboratories and universities of Japan. This contribution consists about 9 % of all available computerized nuclear data. Free release and distribution of JENDL, national library of evaluated cross sections, led to world wide and routine use of these data in most applications. Results of integral and comprehensive engineering benchmark experiments made in the nuclear centres of Japan are used for testing of microscopic nuclear data and calculational methods in the designs of new nuclear installations.
The role and relative contribution of the nuclear data program of Japan is clearly increasing. More than 12 % of all experimental nuclear data and a substantially larger part of all evaluated data have been produced by the nuclear data community of Japan at last 10 years. Strong support by Japan of nuclear data projects in the countries of Former Soviet Union (FSU) not only substantially contributed in nuclear data measurements and evaluation programs of these countries, but also helped scientists in those countries in this complex period of transition. In view of the large contribution of nuclear data community of Japan to the international co-operation, it is very fitting that the first International Conference on Nuclear Data for Science and Technology of the new millennium will be held at Tsukuba.
We wish you new successes in year 2001 and hope for a long continuation of fruitful co-operation between the Nuclear Data Section of the IAEA and nuclear data groups in laboratories, institutes and universities of Japan.