Nuclear Waste Site Survey Begins for Remote Tokyo Island

Tokyo, May 20 (Jiji Press)–The Nuclear Waste Management Organization of Japan, or NUMO, said Wednesday that it has started a literature survey on the feasibility of constructing a final disposal facility for highly radioactive waste on Minamitorishima, a remote Tokyo island in the Pacific. The island, which is part of the village of Ogasawara, is the fourth location in Japan to host such a survey, after the town of Suttsu and the village of Kamoenai, both in the northernmost prefecture of Hokkaido, and the town of Genkai in the southwestern prefecture of Saga. The survey for the island is the first to be conducted at the Japanese government’s initiative, rather than at the request of a local government. On Wednesday, the industry ministry approved NUMO’s business plan featuring the Minamitorishima survey. The literature survey is the first stage of the three-tier process to select a site for a final disposal facility. NUMO will analyze the potential impact of volcanoes and faults using geological maps and academic papers over the next two years or so. In early March, the ministry asked Ogasawara Mayor Masaaki Shibuya to accept the literature survey. The village then held sessions to hear local residents’ views on the matter. In late April, Shibuya met with industry minister Ryosei Akazawa and announced the village’s decision to accept the survey. The literature survey will be followed by a preliminary investigation, or a survey involving drilling that takes about four years, and then a detailed investigation, or a 14-year-or-so process that involves tests in an underground facility. To proceed to the second stage, the central government will have to obtain approval from relevant prefectural governors and mayors. END [Copyright The Jiji Press, Ltd.]