Where can Japan store its nuclear waste? Island plan raises alarm
Critics of Minamitorishima proposal point to scant research on the remote Pacific atoll
An official request to carry out a survey assessing the island’s suitability for the facility was presented to the mayor of Ogasawara village, which nominally administers the island some 1,900km (1,200 miles) southeast of Tokyo, earlier this month.
Similar requests have been made of two towns in Hokkaido as the Japanese government seeks a solution to its growing stockpiles of nuclear waste, which have been accumulating since the country’s first reactor became operational in 1966.
Despite generous payment offers to potential host communities, the requests have triggered fierce resistance over the dangers associated with waste that experts warn may take 100,000 years to reach safe radiation levels.
Tiny Minamitorishima, with its land area of about 1.51 sq km (0.58 square miles), has no permanent residents, only a small military presence alongside civilian government officials who conduct weather observation and maintain port and other facilities.
“There are certainly pros and cons for Minamitorishima as the repository,” said Kazuto Suzuki, a professor of science and technology policy at Tokyo University.