Japan Press Weekly

Tweet

2022 April 27 - May 10 [SOCIAL ISSUES]

Kasai demands that gov't stop budgeting for Japan-France development of fast-fission reactor

Japanese Communist Party member of the House of Representatives Kasai Akira on April 27 criticized the government for declining to disclose information about the Japan-France joint development of a fast-fission reactor by using "secrecy as an excuse".

At a meeting of the Lower House Committee on Economy and Industry held on the same day, Kasai said that if the government carries on development in secrecy, the Diet cannot fulfil its responsibility as a watchdog of the government.

The Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry (METI) has poured more than 73.9 billion yen since fiscal 2007 into the international joint development of nuclear energy using a fast-fission reactor.

Presenting the entrustment contract for the Japan-France joint development of a fast-fission reactor using a French reactor called ASTRID, Kasai asked, "Why is part of 'the timetable for implementation' written in the contract blacked out?" An Energy Agency official answered that it is "for confidentiality reasons".

Kasai pointed out that the budget documents concerning the Japan-France joint reactor development have had no mention of ASRID since fiscal 2020. METI Minister Hagiuda Koichi in response admitted to the fact that ASRID is the already-ended program. He, however, insisted, "Joint development of a fast-fission reactor still has a major political significance."

Pointing out that the METI wrote in the entrustment contract that "a fast-fission reactor is expected to be introduced in France in the latter half of the 21st century", Kasai demanded that the government stop further budgeting for the joint development as the initial plan was already ended.

Past related article:
> Abe in Europe busy selling Japan’s nuclear power plants [ May 8, 2014]