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

Reprocessing to go on ? (1)

September 13, 2012

almost the same article in both papers (based on Kyodonews)

Japan to maintain plan to seek spent fuel reprocessing at Rokkasho

http://mainichi.jp/english/english/newsselect/news/20120913p2g00m0dm084000c.html

 

TOKYO (Kyodo) -- Japan will continue to seek reprocessing of spent nuclear fuel in the village of Rokkasho in Aomori Prefecture under its new energy strategy to be compiled soon, sources close to the matter said Thursday.


The latest development suggests the government intends to shelve decision making on how to change its current spent fuel recycling policy in a way that would be consistent with the goal of ending nuclear power generation.

In a draft of the energy strategy, obtained by Kyodo News, the government says it will make every effort to break away from nuclear power generation in the 2030s.


The government is making arrangements to send Economy, Trade and Industry Minister Yukio Edano to the northeastern prefecture, which hosts a reprocessing plant and other facilities crucial to achieving fuel recycling, to explain the strategy, the sources said.


The reprocessing plant in Rokkasho has not yet started full-scale operation amid repeated problems, despite nearly 20 years having passed since the beginning of its construction.


For decades, Japan has upheld a policy to seek to reprocess all spent fuel from nuclear power plants and reuse the extracted plutonium and uranium as reactor fuel. If it decides to end nuclear power generation, there would be no point in pursuing such recycling.


But backing away from the current policy is certain to create a backlash from the prefecture and the village, as they have made it clear that they do not want to keep the used fuel brought in from nationwide nuclear complexes unless it could be reprocessed.


Unable to fully operate the Rokkasho plant, Japan has sent spent fuel to France and Britain for reprocessing and accepted vitrified high-level radioactive waste created in the process in another facility in the same village.


But a policy change may lead the village to refuse the entry of such waste and Britain has called on the Japanese government to make sure that the waste would be accepted, the sources said.


Chief Cabinet Secretary Osamu Fujimura said he met British Ambassador to Japan David Warren on Tuesday and promised that the country will "not undermine the relationship of trust."


The industry ministry said it will send senior vice industry minister Seishu Makino to Fukui Prefecture to explain about the envisioned energy strategy.


The prefecture hosts about a dozen reactors in addition to the Monju prototype nuclear fast-breeder reactor, which is seen as playing a central role in Japan's so-called fuel cycle policy.

Nuclear recycling program to continue amid looming storage crisis

Kyodo

http://www.japantimes.co.jp/text/nn20120914a1.html

 

The government, under its new energy goal of ending the nation's dependence on atomic power by the 2030s, will nonetheless continue to pursue the reprocessing of spent nuclear fuel in the village of Rokkasho, Aomori Prefecture, sources said Thursday.


  

The latest development suggests the government intends to delay any decision to scale back its current program of recycling spent nuclear fuel, despite its new goal of ending atomic power.


In a draft of the energy strategy, the government says it will make every effort to break away from nuclear power by the 2030s.


The government is arranging to send Minister of Economy, Trade and Industry Yukio Edano to Aomori Prefecture, which hosts the spent-fuel reprocessing plant and other facilities crucial to recycling and storing nuclear fuel, to explain the strategy, the sources said.


The fuel reprocessing plant in Rokkasho, whose construction started nearly 20 years ago, has not yet started full-scale operations due to repeated problems.


For decades the government has been pushing the reprocessing of all spent fuel from the nation's nuclear plants and the reuse the extracted plutonium and uranium as reactor fuel. If the nuclear power program ends, there would be no reason to pursue fuel recycling.


But backing away from the recycling program would prompt Rokkasho and Aomori to demand that the nation's nuclear plants retrieve their spent fuel and store it at their own facilities, many of which are already nearing capacity.


Because the Rokkasho plant is not fully operational, the nation has sent spent fuel to France and Britain for reprocessing and accepted at another facility in the village vitrified high-level radioactive waste created in the processing overseas.


If the recycling program is halted, Rokkasho may refuse to receive such waste and Britain has called on the government to make sure Japan will accept it, the sources said.


Chief Cabinet Secretary Osamu Fujimura said he met British Ambassador David Warren on Tuesday and promised that the country will "not undermine the relationship of trust." The industry ministry said it will send senior vice industry minister Seishu Makino to Fukui Prefecture to explain the new energy strategy.


The prefecture hosts about a dozen reactors in addition to the trouble-plagued Monju prototype fast-breeder reactor, which was to have played a key role in the fuel-cycle policy had it ever been able to be brought online, but now looks to be decommissioned after a few tests are carried out for research.

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