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information about Fukushima published in English in Japanese media info publiée en anglais dans la presse japonaise

Reprocessing momentarily suspended?

 

May 8, 2012

Japan gov't proposes postponing decision on nuclear fuel cycle policy

http://mainichi.jp/english/english/newsselect/news/20120508p2g00m0dm126000c.html

 

 

TOKYO (Kyodo) -- The government proposed Tuesday to a subpanel of the Japan Atomic Energy Commission carrying over a policy decision on the country's nuclear fuel cycle or temporarily suspending the operation of the used nuclear fuel reprocessing plant in northeastern Japan, officials said.


The secretariat of the five-member commission, which supervises the country's nuclear policy, filed the proposal as the outlook for the operation of existing reactors and development of fast breeder reactors has become unclear following the Fukushima nuclear crisis.


The subpanel, which aims to compile options for the nuclear fuel cycle policy as an input for the government's basic energy strategy to be adopted around summer, will deepen discussions on the country's nuclear policies on the basis of the proposal, the officials said.


Under the proposal, Japan Nuclear Fuel Ltd.'s used fuel reprocessing plant in the village of Rokkasho, Aomori Prefecture, on the northern tip of Japan's largest main island of Honshu, will be limited to test operations or be suspended.


Gov't to decide whether to keep reprocessing spent nuclear fuel

http://mainichi.jp/english/english/newsselect/news/20120508p2g00m0dm016000c.html

 

TOKYO (Kyodo) -- The government plans to decide within several years whether to continue processing spent nuclear fuel to extract plutonium, government officials said Monday.


Japan has for years adopted a policy to reprocess all spent nuclear fuel for the sake of energy security. But maintaining that policy is increasing difficult, a senior official said.


So the government plans to study the feasibility of burying spent nuclear fuel underground as an option, the officials said.


Specifically, the government will take several years to analyze reprocessing operations, centered on the plant in the village of Rokkasho in Aomori Prefecture. It will look at the technological practicality, cost, planned consumption and protection of extracted plutonium.


The government will also review the fast-breeder reactor technology seen as the core of Japan's nuclear fuel cycle policy, the officials said. A fast-breeder reactor is designed to produce more nuclear fuel than it consumes.

 

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