Concerns over Japan’s plutonium recycling move

Asia – Japan intends to launch a nuclear recycling programme that would produce new stockpiles of plutonium and create a ‘proliferation risk’ for decades to come, the New York Times has reported. The Japanese government says the scheme would separate plutonium from used nuclear fuel so it can be reused to power reactors.

The new stocks will add to the plutonium already being stored in Japan, much of it at the brand-new Rokkasho Reprocessing Plant in Tokai which took 20 years and US$ 22 billion to build.

The facility reputedly has a capacity to treat 8 tonnes of plutonium per year.

Those supporting the scheme believe the venture would ensure ‘energy independence’ for the resource-deficient nation. Some industry experts, on the other hand, have warned that the plutonium produced through recycling would offer an ‘inviting target’ for terrorists to steal or attack, not least because the plant requires no background checks for visitors and is overseen by only lightly-armed guards.

With this in mind, American officials have been lobbying against Japan’s plans to build larger stocks of the material. It is also argued that plutonium is much more easy to use to manufacture weapons than the uranium employed in powering most of Japan’s nuclear reactors.

This has resulted in increased friction between Japan and neighbouring countries, most notably China. Kazuo Ishikawa, a former trade ministry official who worked on the nation’s energy policy, has commented: ‘Japan must continue with the nuclear fuel cycle. Japan’s energy security depends on it.’