Has fast breeder Monju been good for Japan’s energy?

Kansai Electric’s Takahama Units 3 and 4 Restart Review Enters Public Comment Period First Use of Plutonium (MOX) Fuel Since Fukushima Accident Moves Ahead Without NRA Review of its Severe Accident Implications For immediate release: 17 December 2014 Contact: Aileen Mioko Smith +81-90-3620-9251 Japan’s Nuclear Regulation Authority (NRA) today approved the first stage of the review for restart of Kansai Electric’s Takahama Units 3 and 4 located in Fukui Prefecture. If restart is approved, it will be the first reactors to use plutonium (uranium and plutonium mIxed oxide fuel: MOX fuel) since the Fukushima accident. The Nuclear Regulatory Agency stated today that the approval process for MOX fuel at Takahama…

Japan’s Two Operating Reactors won’t meet New Post-Fukushima Standards Will the Nuclear Regulation Authority Still Allow Them to Operate? For immediate release: 19 June 2013 Contact: Aileen Mioko Smith Kyoto, Japan—-The Nuclear Regulation Authority today approved new post-Fukushima regulatory standards. The standards will now be sent to the Cabinet for approval. They are scheduled to take effect on 8 July. Will the NRA ignore compliance with its new standards from day one by allowing the two currently operating nuclear reactors in Japan, Ohi Units 3 and 4 to continue to operate, thus setting the precedent for further non-compliance? At issue is whether Japan has learned the lessons of the Fukushima…

Environmental NGO Resolution Eighth International Energy Forum Osaka, Japan20 September 2002 The 20th century was the fossil fuel century. To the middle of the century, most energy came from coal, and after the 1960’s the use of oil increased rapidly. Today’s worldwide consumption in energy continues to be dependent on fossil fuels, predominantly oil. These precious fossil fuels have contributed to the development of humanity, easing the burden of daily life. At the same time however, dependence on fossil fuels has caused or contributed to further aggravating the unequal distribution of the world’s wealth, energy wars or civil wars related to energy access, serious environmental destruction as a result of…

Radioactive Discharges into the Pacific from the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant Site On 8 August, NGOs and Diet members held a meeting with the Japanese government concerning the radioactive discharges into the Pacific Ocean from the Fukushima Daiichi site. The meeting was held in Tokyo at the Upper House Diet Office Building. The government says it will assign a budget to deal with this problem, but it’s for the next fiscal year, plus, the countermeasures are grossly insufficient. What was revealed at yesterday’s meeting…. IT’S UNCLEAR WHO’S IN CHARGE AND WHO’S RESPONSIBLE IN THE JAPANESE GOVERNMENT: It became evident that it’s unclear which government entity is responsible for and…

14 May 2004 Mr Stephen Timms MPMinister for EnergyC/O The British EmbassyTokyo, JapanTel: 03-5211-1332Fax: 03-5211-1270 Dear Mr Timms We are Japanese citizens, consumer, professional and anti-nuclear organisations from Osaka, Kyoto, Aomori, the Tokyo and central Japan regions. We write to you concerning BNFL’s hopes of resurrecting business with Japanese electric utilities concerning MOX (mixed oxide) fuel use, this time at the Sellafield MOX Plant (SMP). Trust in BNFL has been destroyed in Japan. The December 1999 BNFL data falsification scandal is still very fresh in the minds of the Japanese public. In a recent Fukui legislative session, distrust concerning BNFL was raised yet again, and an important conservative Fukui legislator…