Construction of Tohoku nuclear-fuel reprocessing plant ongoing after 30 years

The completion of Japan Nuclear Fuel's nuclear fuel reprocessing plant in the village of Rokkasho, Aomori Prefecture, which has been postponed numerous times, could be achieved next year, the company has said.
A public relations official at Japan Nuclear Fuel said the company is "now confident to a certain degree" that the plant for processing spent fuel from nuclear power stations will be completed in fiscal 2026.
Japanese power companies have been forced to store spent fuel within the premises of their nuclear power plants due to a delay of more than 25 years in the construction of the reprocessing plant.
At one of the facilities at the plant recently shown to the media, spent fuel is stored at the bottom of a 27-meter-long, 11m-wide and 12m-deep pool. The plant has capacity to store 3,000 metric tons of spent fuel, but roughly 99% is already filled.
The plant is for extracting uranium and plutonium that can be reused from spent nuclear fuel. It was supposed to play a central role in the nuclear fuel cycle, which the government regards as the pivot of its energy policy.
After construction began in 1993, the plant was originally scheduled to be completed in 1997.
But the completion has been postponed as many as 27 times, and a safety review by the Nuclear Regulation Authority is still ongoing.
Based on the expected completion of the reprocessing plant in fiscal 2026, Kansai Electric Power reviewed its earlier policy regarding shipments of spent fuel from its nuclear plants in Fukui Prefecture and submitted a new road map to the Fukui Prefectural Government in February this year.
The following month, Fukui Gov. Tatsuji Sugimoto met with Kansai Electric President Nozomu Mori and gave the prefecture's green light to the new schedule, making it possible for the company to continue operating three nuclear reactors that are more than 40 years old as a result.
The three are the No. 1 and No. 2 reactors at the Takahama nuclear plant and the No. 3 reactor at the Mihama plant.
The reprocessing plant's completion in fiscal 2026 as planned is indispensable for the continued operation of the three Kansai Electric reactors.
However, many are concerned about the possibility of further delays.

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Yomiuri Shimbun

6 hours ago

• Yomiuri Shimbun

Japan, ROK Expected to Deepen Future-Oriented Cooperation; Nations on Equal Economic Footing, Share Common Challenges

Japan and South Korea marked the 60th anniversary of the normalization of their diplomatic relations on Sunday. The two countries once interacted as an industrialized country and a developing country, but they have now become equal partners, on par with each other in economic terms. They are also facing common challenges, including the drastically changing international situation and populations that are rapidly graying with chronically low birthrates. It will be essential for Japan and South Korea to deepen their future-oriented cooperation while carefully dealing with historical issues that could trigger conflicts. 'There are many fields in which we can cooperate by sharing knowledge. We want to further broaden the areas for Japan-South Korea cooperation and pass the baton of cooperation to future generations,' Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba said at a ceremony in Tokyo on Thursday to commemorate the 60th anniversary of the normalization of diplomatic ties. Ishiba referred to regional revitalization and measures to address the low birthrate, issues on which he is focusing. The prime minister called on South Korea to work together on issues where the two countries share common interests, apparently in consideration of the fact that South Korea's President Lee Jae-myung, who took office earlier this month, is promoting a pragmatic approach by focusing on practical benefits. South Korea was one of the poorest countries in the world following the Korean War. However, it managed to achieve high economic growth, known as the 'Miracle on the Hangang River,' partly due to the normalization of diplomatic ties with Japan. The Treaty on Basic Relations between Japan and the Republic of Korea and The Agreement on the Settlement of Problems concerning Property and Claims and on Economic Cooperation between Japan and the Republic of Korea were both signed on June 22, 1965. Via these agreements, the two countries acknowledged that the issue of claims between them had been settled, under the premise that Japan would provide South Korea with economic cooperation worth $500 million — about twice the size of South Korea's national budget at that time — establishing the foundation of later Japan-South Korea relations. Currently, the two countries have about the same level of gross domestic product per capita. In the field of semiconductors, Japan has advantages in materials and manufacturing equipment while South Korea has strengths in production, making the two countries increasingly mutually dependent. Japan and South Korea also share the problem of a poor working environment for women, which is considered one of the factors behind the low birthrate in both countries. Japan ranked 118th among 148 countries in the Global Gender Gap Report by the World Economic Forum, while South Korea stood at 101st. 'Complimentary partners' President Lee reportedly expressed a sense of crisis over his country's low birthrate when he met Koichi Aiboshi, a former Japanese ambassador to South Korea, in December 2021. '[South Korea] has spent a considerable amount of budgetary funds on measures to counter the low birthrate, but the situation has failed to see any progress,' Lee reportedly said. He also told Aiboshi that he would like to find out what is done in other countries to use them as references. 'To collaborate with President Lee, who is focusing on the economy, it will be important to explore specific cases for cooperation,' Aiboshi said. In a congratulatory video message for an event held in Seoul on June 16 to mark the anniversary of diplomatic relations, Lee said, 'South Korea and Japan are key partners who must cooperate closely in responding to a rapidly changing global landscape.' In his first summit meeting with Ishiba in Canada later in the week, Lee also said Japan and South Korea are 'complimentary partners.' South Korea experienced a political vacuum for about six months due to the impeachment and removal of former President Yoon Suk Yeol. It is an urgent task for the country to respond to the administration of U.S. President Donald Trump's tariff measures and demand to increase defense spending as well as a military alliance between Russia and North Korea. Like Japan, South Korea relies on energy imports, and stability in the East and South China Seas and the Middle East is directly linked with its economy. According to Japan's Defense Ministry officials, the ministry examined a plan to provide maintenance work in Japan for South Korea's F-35 fighters, as a symbol of improved bilateral ties during the rule of former President Yoon's administration. In the Asia-Pacific region, maintenance bases for F-35 jets are located only in Japan and Australia. South Korea is cautious about defense equipment cooperation with Japan, so it currently has to take its F-35 fighters to Australia for maintenance. Changing public opinion South Korea's political left wing, which supports President Lee's administration, is strict about historical issues and tends to be conciliatory to China and North Korea. Therefore, Japan remains wary of the new administration. However, in an opinion poll conducted by South Korean's Korea JoongAng Ilbo this month regarding the country's diplomatic relations with Japan, 49.6% of respondents sought future-oriented cooperation in such fields as the economy, technology, security and the environment. This exceeds the 31.5% who sought the resolution of historical issues. The groundwork is nearly completed to take cooperation between the two countries to a new level.

Japan Times

7 hours ago

• Japan Times

Tokyo votes in local election seen as key test for ruling party

Voting kicked off Sunday for the Tokyo metropolitan assembly, a poll seen as a key barometer of public sentiment towards the central government, which has been struggling with low approval ratings. Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba's Liberal Democratic Party — its popularity battered by surging inflation and high rice prices — hopes to retain its position as the largest party in the mega-city's legislature. "We will do everything ... to get everyone elected," Ishiba told reporters earlier this month when campaigning kicked off, claiming his party was best positioned to resolve local issues affecting Tokyo's some 14 million residents. The Tokyo assembly election is being watched closely as it comes just weeks before elections for the country's Upper House, which local media has reported could take place on July 20. Ishiba is seeking to maintain his coalition's majority, having already lost a majority in Lower House elections last October. Local media have speculated that another blow in the polls could lead to a change of party leadership. For months, public support for Ishiba, who took office in October, has been at rock bottom, thanks in part to rising inflation and soaring rice costs on his watch. Polls this month showed a slight uptick in support, thanks in part to new policies to tackle the rice price issue. Polling stations for the Tokyo metropolitan assembly will close at 8:00 pm. A record 295 candidates were running in Sunday's election — the most since 1997— including 99 female candidates, the highest proportion ever, which officials have hailed as a "delightful trend." Japan remained at 118th place out of 148 countries in the World Economic Forum's Global Gender Gap Index ranking this year, as women's participation in politics was particularly low.

Japan Times

10 hours ago

• Japan Times

As Japan warms, avocados emerge as an unlikely savior for farmers

Tsutomu Uchida, 64, wipes the sweat from his face as he walks through a farming plot filled with avocado trees in a port district of Shizuoka. An occasional ocean breeze offers brief respite from the scorching afternoon heat in mid-June as Mount Fuji looms in the distance. 'This kid, right here, is Mexicola, which can be harvested earlier (than other varieties), around September,' Uchida says, affectionately pointing to one of the 19 varieties of avocado he grows there. Most trees are less than 2 meters tall. "Avocado trees are usually much taller, like 5 meters, if you let them grow. I've cut the tops off the trees, so harvesting is easier." The retired businessman with three adult sons has experimented with various cultivation techniques since October 2020, when he started renting this 420 square-meter plot of abandoned farmland formerly used to grow melons and flowers. He hopes to discover which variety of avocado — which is almost exclusively imported in Japan — is suitable for the area's climate. Rising temperatures are putting a severe strain on Japan's crop production, as evidenced by the ongoing rice crisis, for which climate change is a contributing factor. But a growing number of farmers in Shizuoka, traditionally a stronghold of mikan production, are turning their attention to avocados, with recent research showing that, due to human-induced climate change, areas fit for the cultivation of the fruit could dramatically expand across Japan. Workers select freshly-picked avocados at a packing warehouse, in Periban, Mexico. According to Japanese customs data, the amount of avocados imported nationwide grew to nearly 80,000 tons in 2020, from around 3,400 tons in 1988, with the vast majority coming from Mexico. | Reuters A staple of Mexican cuisine has thus emerged as an unlikely symbol of hope for Japan's agriculture sector, which is grappling with warming alongside an aging workforce and flattening profitability. 'We can't move forward by just complaining about the negative impact (of the changing farming environment)," says Yuji Hirano, an official in charge of agricultural strategies at the Shizuoka Prefectural Government. 'We are trying to turn this adversity into an opportunity and make the best of it.' Avocado roots In April, Shizuoka, the nation's No. 3 mikan producer after Wakayama and Ehime, launched a project to help farmers in the prefecture start avocado cultivation, with the goal of making it its new specialty product in the future. For the current fiscal year through next March, the prefecture allocated ¥18 million toward the research and development of avocado cultivation techniques, which are not well established in Japan. It hopes to publish manuals for farmers in three years. But why avocados? Hirano explains that, of about 10 subtropical plants the prefecture considered for a production boost, it found avocados to be the most promising because of explosive growth in demand in recent years. According to customs data, the amount of avocados imported nationwide grew to nearly 80,000 tons in 2020, from around 3,400 tons in 1988. In the 2000s, the media began to label the fruit as a 'superfood' and 'the butter of the forest,' due to its vitamin- and fiber-rich content. Now, avocados are fully integrated in the Japanese diet, from sushi to salads to sandwiches, and are easily found at supermarkets nationwide. About 85% of the imports come from Mexico and 11% from Peru, according to 2020 trade statistics. Hirano adds that the prefecture is also banking on its unique historical connections to the fruit. Records show the U.S. Department of Agriculture brought avocado plants to a horticulture research center in the city of Shizuoka as early as 1915, making it the first cultivation site in Japan. But the plant didn't survive a cold snap that hit the city. Of the 600 known varieties of avocados, about 20 have been brought to Japan as genetic resources and can be legally grown here. | Tomoko Otake Today, a few regions in Japan produce avocados, though on a small scale. According to farm ministry data, 34 tons were produced in 2022, mostly in Saga, Ehime and Wakayama — all traditional mikan strongholds. Domestic avocados fetch far higher prices than imported ones, often costing thousands of yen apiece. Farmers feel there may be a market for 'premium avocados' among gourmet lovers and high-end restaurants, and see them as a lucrative alternative to mikan, a common fruit with low profitability. A forum on avocado farming held last month in Shizuoka Prefecture attracted 120 participants, Hirano says, adding that many people were extremely enthusiastic about the potential for avocado crops and eager to learn more about growing them. Kazuhiro Matsumoto, a professor of horticulture at Shizuoka University who has studied avocado farming for years, gave a lecture at the forum and was also impressed with the enthusiasm shown by those in attendance. 'Some people were excited simply by the money-making potential,' Matsumoto says. 'Others were pained by the fact that the farmlands that they had inherited were left abandoned and wanted to do something about it. There were also some young people who were interested in starting farming from scratch.' Matsumoto cautioned that avocados are far from being easy money, however. 'Growing (avocados) is technically very challenging, and you need to have the perseverance to withstand many setbacks,' he said. Workers select freshly-picked avocados at a packing warehouse, in Periban, Mexico. According to Japanese customs data, the amount of avocados imported nationwide grew to nearly 80,000 tons in 2020, from around 3,400 tons in 1988, with the vast majority coming from Mexico. | Reuters For example, most of the imported avocados currently on the market are of the oval-shaped Haas variety, which is too susceptible to the cold for Japan's climate. Of the 600 known varieties of avocados, about 20 have been brought to Japan as genetic resources and can be legally grown here, Matsumoto says, noting that farmers in each region need to pick the variety that is best suited for the local climate. The biggest challenge is to find ways for the plants to survive the coldest days of the year. Even as the climate warms, Japan is still susceptible to the occasional cold snap in the winter. 'If you experience just one day recording minus 6 degrees Celsius, the entire crop could be ruined,' Matsumoto says. Mikan farmers switching to avocados will also face a financial risk, says Toshihiko Sugiura, who has studied adaptation strategies at the National Agriculture and Food Research Organization. 'It normally takes about five or six years before the first avocado harvest, which means the farmers will lose means of income during the transition.' Matsumoto says that, since Shizuoka farmers are already producing a wide variety of crops, they should try to maintain diversity and explore sustainable ways to farm. Shizuoka's proximity to Tokyo works to their advantage, too, he says. 'Beyond selling just avocados, Shizuoka should try to market avocado farming and build deeper relationships with consumers, inviting people to come to the prefecture to grow them together and developing green tourism or new food products,' he says. Mikan crisis Meanwhile, mikan, which boasts the largest cultivation area among Japan's fruit crops, is increasingly challenged by the warming climate. Mikan flowers today bloom earlier than before, but it takes more time for the fruit to mature, as carotenoid pigments, which produce its signature color, do not accumulate until temperatures drop, says Sugiura. Because of this, the fruit's peel tends to age, which causes the pith (the white layer inside citrus fruits) to separate more easily from the peel. Essentially, this means the harvested fruit can get easily damaged during transportation, hurting the farmers' bottom lines, Sugiura says. Mikan (mandarin oranges) are sorted at a facility in Uwajima, Ehime Prefecture. Traditional growing areas for the popular fruit are under threat as Japan's climate warms. | Jiji Unlike rice, which can be grown nationwide, fruit trees have lower climate adaptability, and their production areas tend to be region-specific — for mikan, that means production is best in warm southwestern regions of the country. As warming accelerates, current production areas may become unsuitable for farming, Sugiura says. Mikan is particularly sensitive to temperature, and its optimal average annual temperature range is narrow — between 15 C and 18 C. 'You may think that a temperature difference of 1 C may not mean much,' Sugiura says. 'But for mikan, it makes a world of difference.' Apples, optimally grown in regions with an average annual temperature between 6 C and 14 C, are another crop that is being severely impacted by climate change. In March, Sugiura's team released projections for areas suitable for mikan and avocado production, concluding that the optimal areas for avocados will increase by up to 3.7 times by the middle of the century and by up to 7.7 times by the end of the century. Avocados are fully integrated in the Japanese diet, from sushi to salads to sandwiches, and are easily found at supermarkets nationwide. | Getty Images The report also says the future of mikan production in Japan largely depends on which climate change scenario the world will tread. If warming is held to an increase of 1.4 C by 2100 compared with pre-industrial levels, a low emissions scenario that some leading scientists say is already impossible, 80% of the current production area will be maintained. On the other hand, if warming progresses in line with a high emissions scenario and reaches 4.3 degrees by 2100, none of the current mikan production areas will survive, according to the projection. Community revitalization Uchida, for his part, sees avocados as a tool to encourage more people to move to his hometown of Miho, a small community with a population of 8,000. He has found some varieties grow better than others and is pinning his hopes on Mexicola. This variety is resilient to cold and also matures earlier in the year, he says, believing the variety may give farmers a competitive edge over other avocado growers in Japan. When he started, Uchida was advised by other farmers to grow tomatoes and edamame, which are both dominant local crops. But Uchida was not interested in replicating what others were doing, choosing the less traveled path of avocado farming. A forum on avocado farming held last month in Shizuoka Prefecture attracted 120 participants and many were enthusiastic about the potential for avocado crops. | Tomoko Otake Uchida is also testing other tropical plants such as vanilla, passion fruit and sugarcane, acquiring know-how from horticulture magazines, social media and through trial and error. 'Some young people told me they are interested in farming but they can't see a future where they can make a living,' Uchida says. 'So I thought, 'Why don't we find things we can actually make a living from?'' Climate change is a serious concern, he says, with extreme summer heat limiting his farming time to early morning hours. But it could also present an opportunity, he notes. 'I feel we need to use heat to our advantage and change what we grow.'