information about Fukushima published in English in Japanese media info publiée en anglais dans la presse japonaise
13 Décembre 2015
December 12, 2015
http://ajw.asahi.com/article/behind_news/social_affairs/AJ201512120027
THE ASAHI SHIMBUN
The industry ministry will consider the feasibility of burying high-level radioactive waste from nuclear power plants under the seabed, which a working panel said Dec. 11 could be a “highly appropriate” solution.
In an interim report on disposal methods of highly contaminated materials from spent nuclear fuel, the panel said such waste could be disposed of in adjacent waters within 20 kilometers of the coastline.
It called the disposal method relatively realistic because the circulation of groundwater at sea is not as strong as on land. The panel said the site should be created in adjacent waters so that nuclear waste can easily be transported by ships.
The panel included the under-the-seabed disposal plan in nearby waters as a viable option for the final disposal site.
Based on this proposal, the ministry will set up an expert panel in January to discuss what specific technical challenges lay ahead.
The expert panel will discuss locations of active faults under the seabed and the impact of sea level changes to evaluate the feasibility of the project. It is expected to issue its recommendations by next summer.
While the government has encouraged municipalities to submit candidate sites for nuclear waste disposal, it is being forced to rethink this policy because no local government has come forward to provide a realistic disposal site.
Instead, it will hand-pick the “candidate sites from scientific perspectives” and unilaterally request local governments to comply with its research and inspection efforts.
December 11, 2015
Dec. 11, 2015 - Updated 13:39 UTC+1
http://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/english/news/nuclear.html
Japan's industry ministry will ask experts to study the disposal of highly radioactive nuclear fuel waste beneath the coastal seabed.
The idea was raised on Friday at a meeting of expert panel members.
They have been discussing candidate disposal sites for high-level radioactive waste generated from the country's nuclear power plants.
The panel compiled an interim report for disposal of the waste remnant of spent fuel after uranium and plutonium are extracted for reuse.
In the report, experts excluded locations near active faults or within 15 kilometers from a volcano.
The report advises that inland areas within 20 kilometers from the coastline are more appropriate as disposal sites, as they are close to ports and safer to transport the nuclear waste.
At the meeting, they also noted that beneath the seabed along coastal regions could be an option as such sites would have fewer restrictions. However, some pointed out the risk of seawater seeping into the storage facility.
The panel decided to solicit broader opinions about the report through the Geological Society of Japan and other related academic societies.
The industry ministry will set up a research team and study the technical challenges involved with a "beneath the seabed" disposal plan through the middle of the next year.
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