Japan - Reprocessed nuclear waste returns to Japan

AOMORI — A ship carrying highly radioactive waste from Britain arrived Thursday morning in Japan, as local residents strongly protested the first such shipment since the Fukushima nuclear accident.

The 5,100-ton Pacific Grebe arrived at the port of Rokkasho, Aomori Prefecture, carrying 76 cylinders of reprocessed nuclear waste from three domestic power companies — Kansai Electric Power Co., Shikoku Electric Power Co. and Kyushu Electric Power Co. The waste was bonded into glass and solidified in Britain, then returned to Japan for disposal.

The cylinders are to be placed in a Japan Nuclear Fuel Ltd. storage facility in Rokkasho for the time being. The government has yet to decide on a final disposal site.

Around 50 protesters voiced their opposition at the port, displaying slogans such as "Keep nuclear waste out!"

Masako Sawai, a member of the Citizens' Nuclear Information Center, a Tokyo-based nonprofit organization, was among the protesters. "We are concerned accidents can happen during the transportation of radioactive waste," she said.

The ship left Britain on Aug. 3 bound for Japan via the Panama Canal. Japan Nuclear Fuel did not disclose details of the vessel's itinerary in advance, including its arrival date and berthing location, citing security concerns.

The shipment was the second in a series of consignments from Britain that will transport about 900 of the cylinders to Japan over the next 10 years. The first shipment was delivered in March last year.

Tokyo Electric Power Co., which operates the crippled Fukushima plant, is among the nation's utilities that have commissioned Britain and France to reprocess spent fuel from Japan's nuclear plants. Consignments from France were completed in 2007.

Kyodo, Bloomberg


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