The Mainichi Daily Newsから
2011年7月18日月曜日
Toshiba lobbying U.S. to build nuclear waste repository in Mongolia
“Toshiba finds value in CFS because it adds value to Mongolia’s
natural resources and will contribute to the country’s economic
growth, while the interim storage solution will bring greater
meaning to an international nonproliferation regime,” the letter said.
The Obama administration has pushed
for an international nuclear supply system as part of
his call for a world free of nuclear weapons.
Uranium enrichment and
the reprocessing of spent fuel can be directed to both
military and civilian purposes.
Obama wants to tighten control of these technologies
through international supply schemes such as
the envisioned CFS because there would be no need
for any country that introduces nuclear power generation
to develop such technologies and produce its own fuel.
Since the nuclear crisis at
the Fukushima Daiichi power plant triggered by
the March 11 earthquake and tsunami,
antinuclear sentiment has strengthened in
Japan and other countries. Some European
countries such as Germany and Italy have decided to
forgo nuclear power in the future.
In the letter, however, Sasaki said that
Japan and the United States should stay the course to
promote the CFS even after the Fukushima crisis and
“Toshiba’s policy of active involvement in CFS remains unchanged.”
In February, the Mongolian government sent a
delegation to Tokyo for consultations on the CFS project,
a Japanese senior official said on the condition of anonymity.
The official criticized Toshiba’s lobbying activities, saying,
“Even after such a terrible incident in Fukushima, those in
the ‘nuclear power’ inner circle have no feelings of repentance at all.
” The official also said Sasaki’s letter seems
to reflect a sense of crisis in the nuclear power industry.
Another Japanese official expressed skepticism
regarding the feasibility of the scheme.
“How could such a project fly in the future?
We have to negotiate with China and Russia if we want to
transfer nuclear waste to Mongolia. With respect to
transportation, these neighboring countries would have a veto.”
There is also skepticism in academic circles in Japan, not only
regarding the scheme’s technical feasibility but Japan has its own nuclear recycling policy that excludes the option of disposing of spent nuclear
fuel from other countries.
“Japan would not accept any spent fuel from any foreign country at
the reprocessing plant in Rokkasho (Aomori Prefecture).
On the other hand, could we thrust waste from overseas on
Mongolia? It would be morally wrong,
” said Tadahiro Katsuta, associate
professor at Meiji University who specializes in nuclear energy policy.
(Mainichi Japan) July 2, 2011