Published on Nov.28 ,2013 : The Denki shinbun(The Electric Daily News)
Shojiro Matsuura
Chairman of JANSI

Finnish people constructed a facility in Onkalo to dispose spent fuel from power reactors in view of using nuclear power generation over an extended term into the future. These people must have been very surprised when a former Japanese prime minister who visited the facility launched a major campaign upon returning from the trip, claiming “We cannot build an Onkalo-type facility in Japan; nor can we continue nuclear power generation. We should immediately stop all nuclear power stations.”

I recently saw the former prime minister on TV, advocating immediate discontinuation of nuclear power generation. His appearance seemed to be reminiscent of a preacher delivering an eloquent speech on crusades and jihads. It is needless to say, however, that nuclear power is a major energy source for Japan and is an issue that involves considerably complicated factors. It is extremely dangerous to end the matter by winning support of people with a catchy phrase.

Above all, I feel disturbed of the former prime minister assuming that the Onkalo disposal facility is the only way of disposing spent fuel.

Finnish people accepted a disposal method that suits the state of affairs in Finland. Japan should also select a disposal method based on the state of affairs in Japan, including perspectives for the future; i.e. population, living level, climate, energy needs, resource availability, industry level, international environment, scientific and technological capabilities, and more. For Japan, an island country with a large population living on high standards and running advanced industries, there are quite limited essential energy sources that can be selected from a ultralong-term perspective.

Speaking globally, fossil fuel is limited. We have no choice but to reduce the use of fossil energy so as to avoid the risk of global warming.

Solar and wind energy, which is highly appreciated by society, cannot be trusted as essential energy sources because of its low energy density and instability. For example, records indicate that the long rain which caused the Great Tenmei Famine started in March and continued up to August. Abnormal weather occurs once in every few decades, or at least once in a few hundred years. It is highly likely that abnormal weather will occur in the future as well.

If so, we have no other choice but to continue using nuclear energy while improving safety, keeping the Fukushima accident in mind. I think that this decision made by our predecessors is not wrong, in principle. However, we must improve specific means as science and technology advances.

　

Now, the greatest and most challenging issue into the future is the disposal of spent nuclear fuel and high-level radwaste. Since Japan initially selected nuclear power as an essential energy source for the future, it has been decided to reprocess spent fuel so that the generated plutonium and uranium will be reused and the high-level radwaste will be subjected to deep geological disposal. The problem is that this high-level radwaste includes nuclides with half-lives exceeding several tens of thousands years. Even if long-term, safe disposal is determined possible through scientific and engineering evaluation, public acceptance seems difficult to gain. That is where the problem really lies.

On the other hand, fundamental research has been promoted since quite a long time ago, regarding technology that will separate and extract long-half-life radioactive material included in high-level radwaste and convert it into nuclides with half-lives of several tens of years by using a fast reactor or accelerator. It has recently been concluded by the subcommittee of the science and technology advisory panel of the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology that it is appropriate to conduct an engineering experiment and research to verify the feasibility of this technology.

The completion of this research will decisively reduce the burden of high-level radioactive waste disposal, allowing use of high-level radioactive material as a radiation or heat source. Rather than being seized with the trauma of Onkalo to foolishly select the discontinuation of nuclear power generation in haste, we would like to blaze a new way by calmly promoting appropriate research and development.

 

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