Published on Aug. 29, 2017: The Denki Shimbun (The Electric Daily News)
Shojiro Matsuura
President & CEO

In late July, the government published a “Nationwide Map of Scientific Features for Geological Disposal” for high-level radioactive waste (HLW) generated from nuclear power generation. The map of Japan was illustrated in four colors, showing the suitability of geological HLW disposal determined from scientific and technological perspectives. The majority of Japanese people would have seen it, as many newspapers allocated a full page to feature the map.

The generation of HLW is inevitable as long as we use a power generation reactor that involves nuclear fission, regardless of what type of reactor it may be. Since the original introduction of nuclear power generation, it has been as clear as day that safe and permanent HLW disposal is essential.

Yet, the fact remains that, almost half a century since the commencement of commercial nuclear power generation, none of the countries that use the technology on the commercial basis has operated a permanent HLW disposal site.

However, confirming that no final disposal site can be established would invariably force the immediate discontinuation of nuclear power generation.

Nuclear power generation has been maintained without the establishment of a disposal site despite the clear need for such a site, and despite substantial efforts made by all stakeholders, purely because of two major characteristics of nuclear power generation.

The first characteristic is the extremely low volume of HLW generated compared to other power generation technologies, considering the amount of electricity produced. For this reason, keeping HLW in temporary storage could be tolerated in real terms as long as the waste is managed safely. In contrast, thermal power generation has generated a massive amount of carbon dioxide gasses, and simply released them into the atmosphere. The world is paying for it now in the form of large-scale environmental issues.

The second characteristic is the injection of sizeable global efforts into the establishment of HLW disposal technology since the early days of nuclear energy development, with the technology almost reaching the stage of practical use a long time ago following various verification tests. A number of countries and regions have examined the suitability of their respective disposal sites, and established shared understanding about scientific and technological suitability.

In Japan, a department of the now-defunct Power Reactor and Nuclear Fuel Development Corporation (PNC) led the efforts to amass technological insight from around the world and develop relevant technologies, culminating in the publication of the so-called “H12 report.” It clearly stated that Japan had vast areas suitable for waste disposal. In response, the government sought submissions from local governments willing to undergo a suitability confirmation study, only to be met with a tall and thick wall of opposition. The initiative under this approach eventually failed.

The latest map shows that approx. 30% of Japan’s national land is scientifically and technologically suitable for HLW disposal. The reality is that, in terms of science and technology, there should be no problem with establishing a disposal site.

What Japanese society faces is not the wall of science and technology but the social and political mentality of Japanese society itself and its underlying collective social psychology.

Even in matters other than the establishment of a radioactive waste disposal site, social and organizational factors, instead of scientific and technological issues, have posed the fundamental challenge, creating difficulty in resolving many of the nuclear-related issues. This is evident when you examine past major nuclear incidents in Japan, e.g. cases involving the nuclear-powered ship Mutsu and the fast-breeder prototype reactor Monju.

Dramatic changes that have engulfed the world and its natural environment in recent years seem to indicate that the time will soon come when both the society and country are required to have a serious resolve so that we can calmly examine future science, technology and energy issues, and continuously make decisive choices so as for Japan to survive as a civilized society. Choosing the location for a HLW disposal site could be one of the ways for us to express this resolve.

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