Japan's nuclear power industry today holds a very large amount of spent
nuclear fuel that has accumulated over 38 years of nuclear energy production.
The question is what should be done with this radioactive waste? There are two
basic options: One is to recycle spent fuel through reprocessing; the other is
to dispose of it directly by burying it deep underground.
The conclusion by a policy panel of the Atomic Energy Commission is that the
present fuel-recycling policy should be continued. The panel says reprocessing
is better than disposal for a variety of reasons, including the stability it
gives energy supplies, the lack of environmental risks and the flexibility it
affords energy policy. In other words, reprocessing amounts to recognition of
the reality that fuel recycling is the only feasible way to keep nuclear plants
running.
At present, there are 52 nuclear reactors across the country, accounting for
more than one-third ...