information about Fukushima published in English in Japanese media info publiée en anglais dans la presse japonaise
23 Mai 2015
May 22, 2015
Kyodo
The government will select potential areas to host nuclear dump sites instead of waiting for communities to volunteer, according to the revised policy on permanent disposal of high-level radioactive waste that was adopted by the Cabinet on Friday.
The revision, the first in seven years, was prompted after towns, villages and cities throughout Japan snubbed requests to host nuclear waste dumps. The government has been soliciting offers since 2002.
The move is seen as a sign that the government wants to address the matter as it proceeds with its pursuit of reactor restarts. All commercial units have largely sat idle since the triple meltdown at the Fukushima No. 1 plant in 2011.
It remains unclear when a final depository could be built, because the policy mentions no time frame. The government also plans to expand its storage capacity for spent fuel by building new interim facilities as a short-term fix.
“We will steadily proceed with the process as (resolving the problem is) the current generation’s responsibility,” minister of economy, trade and industry Yoichi Miyazawa told reporters, adding there will be “quite a few” candidate sites.
They will be chosen on scientific grounds, the policy says.
Prime Minister Shinzo Abe’s administration is seeking to revive atomic power, although the majority of the public remains opposed in light of the Fukushima disaster, which left tens of thousands homeless. Critics have attacked the government for promoting atomic power without resolving where all the waste will end up.
Permanent disposal of high-level nuclear waste requires that a depository be built more than 300 meters underground, where the materials must lie for up to 100,000 years until radiation levels fall to the point where there is no harm to humans or the environment.
About 17,000 tons of spent fuel is stored on the premises of nuclear plants and elsewhere in Japan, but some would run out of space in three years if all the reactors got back online.
Under the revision, the government said it will allow future generations to retrieve high-level waste from such facilities should policy changes or new technologies emerge.
Worldwide, only Finland and Sweden have been able to pick final depository sites. Finland is building the world’s first permanent disposal site for high-level waste in Olkiluoto, aiming to put it into operation around 2020.
But many other countries with nuclear plants are struggling to find a site for such a facility. In the United States, President Barack Obama decided in 2009 to call off a plan to build a disposal site in Nevada’s Yucca Mountain due to local opposition.
http://mainichi.jp/english/english/newsselect/news/20150522p2g00m0dm029000c.html
TOKYO (Kyodo) -- The Cabinet adopted Friday a revised basic policy on the final disposal of highly radioactive nuclear waste, introducing a scheme in which the government will choose candidate sites based on scientific grounds, rather than waiting for municipalities willing to host a final depository.
Under the policy, revised for the first time in seven years, the government is to take such a step given the little progress made in the process of soliciting candidates that began in 2002 due to safety concerns.
The move indicates the government's attempt to address the unresolved issue as Japan gets closer to the restart of idled nuclear reactors after the 2011 Fukushima meltdowns.
The outlook, however, still remains highly uncertain over when such a final depository would be built, with no specific time frame mentioned in the policy. The government also plans to expand the storage capacity for spent nuclear fuel by constructing new interim facilities as a short-term fix.
"We will steadily proceed with the process as (resolving the problem is) the current generation's responsibility," industry minister Yoichi Miyazawa told reporters.
The minister added that the number of candidate sites suitable for building a final depository to be chosen by the government will be "quite a few."
Prime Minister Shinzo Abe's administration is seeking to revive the country's nuclear plants idled following the Fukushima crisis, although the majority of the public remains opposed to the use of atomic power. The government has been under criticism over its stance of promoting nuclear power without resolving the issue of the final disposal of nuclear waste, especially after the 2011 disaster.
For permanent disposal, high-level nuclear waste needs to be stored at a final depository more than 300 meters underground for up to some 100,000 years until radiation levels fall and there is no harm to humans and the environment.
Currently, around 17,000 tons of spent nuclear fuel are being kept on the premises of nuclear plants and elsewhere in Japan, but some nuclear plants would run out of space to keep nuclear waste in three years if idled reactors go back online.
In the revised policy, the government also said it will allow future generations to retrieve high-level radioactive waste from a final disposal facility should there be possible nuclear policy changes or development of new technologies.
Worldwide, only Finland and Sweden have been able to decide on the final depository site. Finland is constructing the world's first permanent disposal site of high-level radioactive waste in Olkiluoto, aiming to put it in operation around 2020.
But many other countries with nuclear plants are struggling to find a site for such a facility. In the United States, President Barack Obama decided in 2009 to call off a plan to build a disposal site in Nevada's Yucca Mountain due to local opposition.
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