FOCUS: Japan Takes New Path to Survey for Nuclear Waste Dump Site

Tokyo, June 10 (Jiji Press)–The Japanese government has taken the lead for the first time in launching a survey to assess whether a municipality is suitable to host a final disposal site for high-level radioactive waste generated by nuclear power plants across the country. The initial stage of the survey started in May on Minamitorishima, Japan’s easternmost island, marking the first such project launched at the request of the central government, rather than at the initiative of a municipality. The Pacific island, which belongs to the Tokyo village of Ogasawara, became the fourth candidate site to undergo a so-called literature survey, following the town of Suttsu and the village of Kamoenai, both in Hokkaido, northernmost Japan, and the town of Genkai, in the southwestern prefecture of Saga. Central Govt Decision On April 21, Minister of Economy, Trade and Industry Ryosei Akazawa held a meeting with Masaaki Shibuya, the mayor of Ogasawara, at the industry ministry and emphasized the government’s intention to proceed with the final disposal site selection process without waiting for applications from local communities. “We want to conduct the survey as a decision of the government,” Akazawa said. Although Shibuya had already signaled his intention to give de facto approval, he expressed his willingness again at the meeting, saying, “We are ready to accept it.” Minamitorishima is an island in the Pacific Ocean about 2,000 kilometers southeast of central Tokyo. With an area of about 1.5 square kilometers, the island hosts facilities of the Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force, the land ministry’s Kanto Regional Development Bureau and the Japan Meteorological Agency, with staff stationed there. On March 3, Minamitorishima suddenly came under the spotlight as a candidate site for an underground storage facility for high-level radioactive waste, which is vitrified after uranium and plutonium are extracted from spent nuclear fuel for reuse. A senior official of the industry ministry visited Ogasawara and asked Shibuya to allow a survey to be conducted on the island. The village government has since sought to consolidate residents’ opinions by holding briefing sessions attended by the mayor on the island of Chichijima on March 14 and on the island of Hahajima on March 21. Transport Seen as Challenge The Japanese government set its sights on the island because previous surveys suggested that geological strata at depths exceeding 300 meters underground, where radioactive waste would be buried, are unlikely to be affected by volcanoes or active faults. The entire island is owned by the state, and some land remains unused. Residents of Ogasawara live on Chichijima and Hahajima, about 1,200 kilometers away, while none live on Minamitorishima. Villagers’ sense of local attachment to the island is weak, and it is believed that opposition movements against the survey are unlikely to start. Meanwhile, given that it takes four to five days one way to reach the island by ship from Tokyo, the distance from the mainland is one of the challenges in the selection process. If a final disposal site were to be built on the island and radioactive waste sent there, transportation costs would likely be higher than for other candidate locations. There are also concerns that it may not be possible to secure a site large enough to construct a disposal facility. Rare earths used in electric vehicles and other products have been discovered on the nearby seabed. In places where mineral resources are mined, the geological formations’ ability to isolate radioactive waste could be affected. Five Requests At the meeting with Akazawa, Shibuya presented a five-point request. The requests included the development of new methods for processing radioactive waste, more substantive briefing sessions for village residents, and efforts to prevent reputational damage. The mayor also pressed for a commitment that conducting the literature survey would not lead directly to a decision to construct a final repository on the island. The literature survey is the first phase in a three-stage process to determine whether a candidate site can host an underground storage facility for high-level radioactive waste from power plants across Japan. The research, lasting about two years, reviews records of past earthquakes and geological maps in order to analyze the strength of geological layers and the bedrock. The second step, called preliminary investigation, is a drilling survey continuing for about four years to examine the geological layers. Then in the third stage, roughly 14 years will be spent on a detailed investigation using an underground facility. Furthermore, with an eye toward the central government’s plan to increase the number of survey areas to around five to 10 locations, Shibuya requested that the government approach other municipalities with survey proposals. The mayor said that unless such efforts are made, the village government “will not express an opinion” when the central government plans to move the process on Minamitorishima a step further to a drilling survey. As the law regarding the final disposal of radioactive waste calls for respecting the opinions of the heads of local governments, the industry ministry has explained that it “will not proceed further against the (village’s) wishes.” Responding to the mayor’s requests, Akazawa said, “I promise that the government will address them properly.” END [Copyright The Jiji Press, Ltd.]