No Place for Nuclear Waste

Nuclear policy of Japan often resembles apartment without restroom. While the country has fifty nuclear reactors for nuclear power generation, it does not have any final destination for used nuclear fuels. Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry released a map of Japan, on which possible area for burying nuclear waste is indicated based on scientific reasons. According to METI, 30% of whole land of Japan is highly suitable for the final solution.

Japan has accumulated 20 thousand metric tons of used nuclear fuels, during a half century of commercial operation of nuclear power generation. Those fuels effuse harmful radioactive materials, which requires tens of thousands years to reduce radiation to a level safe enough for human body. METI supposes that those fuels should be buried underground deeper than 300 meters from the land surface.

METI and power companies have been looking for the place to dispose nuclear waste. It has been supposed that the waste should not be buried in the place close to volcano or underground rift, because crustal movement may affect nuclear waste underground stocked underground. But, the fact is that the land of Japan actually consists of the tops of volcanoes and located between continental plates of Eurasia and North America. The land has been suffering from great earthquakes such as one six years ago.

The map divided the land of Japan into four categories. The places as close to volcano as 15 kilometers or less are categorized as the least suitable for final solution, which is located along with volcanic belts. There are a few places excluded where oil, natural gas or coal would possibly be produced in the future. All the other area is painted green, designed to be suitable for building facilities for nuclear waste storage. Area within 20 kilometers from seacoast was painted dark green, recognized as the most suitable with convenience for transport.

In short, the map is saying that whole land of Japan except around volcano or underground rift is suitable for final storage of nuclear wastes. They did not care about dense population or negative sentiment of the residents caused by former severe accident in nuclear power plant. METI is going to persuade the people in “green area” to accept nuclear wastes in next twenty years.

Nuclear waste will be increased before the destination of used fuel is determined. METI prepares subsidy for local community that accepts the research for final solution, which amounts to billions of yen. But, this kind of stick-and-carrot incentive has caused broad regret with unexpected nuclear accident. Credibility of nuclear policy is the key to find the place. Having said that, there still remains a big question: Is there any place for nuclear wastes on the land of volcano?