Japan Press Weekly

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2014 September 24 - 30 [SOCIAL ISSUES]

Science Council of Japan: utilities should prepare storage facilities for nuclear wastes

The Science Council of Japan (SCJ) on September 29 published a proposal that power companies should prepare facilities storing spent nuclear fuel.

The SCJ, an independent organization under the Cabinet Office, represents the scientific community in Japan and has the authority to make policy recommendations to the government.

Regarding the disposal of spent nuclear fuel, the SCJ in September 2012 stated that the government should abandon its plans for deep geological disposal of high level radioactive wastes.

The proposal points out that as utilities have made profits thanks to nuclear power generation, they should be held responsible for constructing facilities for temporarily storing nuclear wastes. It also states that the completion of such facilities should be required prior to the resumption of operations at nuclear power plants.

Tokyo Institute of Technology Professor Emeritus Imada Takatoshi, who took the lead in drawing up the proposal, at a press conference said, “Reactivating nuclear reactors at this time means irresponsibly piling up more radioactive wastes.”