Kushima briefed by industry ministry officials on nuclear waste site survey

Industry ministry officials on Friday briefed the city of Kushima in Miyazaki Prefecture about a possible literature survey, the first phase of the three-stage process to select a final disposal site for high-level radioactive waste from nuclear power plants, according to Kushima Mayor Koichi Takeda.

Takeda told reporters after the briefing that the ministry did not ask the city to accept the survey, saying that nothing had been decided on the matter.

Literature surveys were conducted or are continuing at five locations — the town of Suttsu and the village of Kamoenai in Hokkaido; the town of Genkai in Saga Prefecture; Minamitorishima, an island in Tokyo’s Ogasawara chain; and the city of Hitachiomiya in Ibaraki Prefecture. 

Kushima may be asked by the ministry to allow a survey. The survey would take about two years and examine potential risks from volcanoes and faults based on geological maps and other documents.

Kushima was included in a scientific features map released by the central government in 2017, which listed sites with a relatively high possibility of favorable features being found for hosting a final disposal facility — such as no volcanoes or active faults nearby. The city’s coastal location is considered favorable in terms of transportation.

Earlier this year, the industry ministry asked the village of Ogasawara, which includes Minamitorishima, and the city of Hitachiomiya to accept literature surveys, and both municipalities agreed.

At a news conference Friday, industry minister Ryosei Akazawa declined to comment on the Kushima briefing session while saying, “The central government will take the lead in efforts to increase the number of areas for literature surveys.”