Tokyo, Oct. 23 (Jiji Press)–Japanese industry ministry officials on Friday briefed the city of Kushima in the southwestern prefecture of Miyazaki about a possible literature survey, the first phase of the three-stage process to select a final disposal site for high-level radioactive waste from nuclear power plants, Koichi Takeda, mayor of the city, said. Takeda told reporters after the briefing that the ministry did not ask the city to accept the survey, saying that nothing has been decided on the matter. Literature surveys were conducted or are continuing at five locations–the town of Suttsu and the village of Kamoenai in the northernmost prefecture of Hokkaido, the town of Genkai in the southwestern prefecture of Saga, Minamitorishima, an island in Tokyo’s Ogasawara chain, and the city of Hitachiomiya in the eastern prefecture of Ibaraki. Kushima may be asked by the ministry to allow a survey. The survey would take about two years and examine potential risks from volcanoes and faults based on geological maps and other documents. Kushima was included in a scientific features map released by the central government in 2017, which listed sites with a relatively high possibility of favorable features being found for hosting a final disposal facility, such as no volcanoes or active faults nearby. The city’s coastal location is considered favorable in terms of transportation. Earlier this year, the industry ministry asked the village of Ogasawara, which includes Minamitorishima, and the city of Hitachiomiya to accept literature surveys, and both municipalities agreed. At a press conference Friday, industry minister Ryosei Akazawa declined to comment on the Kushima briefing session while saying, “The central government will take the lead in efforts to increase the number of areas for literature surveys.” END [Copyright The Jiji Press, Ltd.]
