False Premise, False Promise

Abstract

It is almost 50 years since Japan’s first nuclear power plant went into operation. Prior to the Fukushima accident, the country was the world’s third largest producer of nuclear energy. This huge industry and research sector was built on the premise that Japan would recycle its spent nuclear fuels. It is upon this unstable foundation that Japan attempted to establish its nuclear disposal construct. Even after the government made the decision to abandon the Monju fast breeder reactor which has been plagued by problems for years, Japan is not giving up its pursuit of a demonstration fast reactor. The nuclear fuel cycle has remained a major ambition of the government, so reprocessing cannot be excluded in any consideration of final disposal in Japan.

Nuclear waste management is always discussed separately from nuclear power policy in Japan. The power companies use nuclear power without serious consideration for nuclear waste, and even after the Fukushima nuclear accident, they tried to restart their reactors as quickly as possible.

In addition to the lack of transparency and alternatives and the confusion surrounding the management of nuclear waste in Japan, the debate has never really made it to the public arena. As a result, the site selection process in Japan has made little progress.

To change this situation, the site selection method was changed, from the system of voluntary application by local governments to a government-led selection system. The government is adopting a stronger role, and in August 2017, they issued a report which indicates that up to one-third of the Japanese territory could be considered suitable for building a disposal site. The government hopes to narrow down the candidate sites over the next 20 years.