Nuclear Waste Disposal Site: Govt Must Proceed With Selecting Candidates

Editorial

16:20 JST, March 6, 2026

The conventional approach of waiting for municipalities to volunteer to host final disposal sites for high-level radioactive waste from nuclear power plants has its limitations.

If this becomes a turning point for the government to take responsibility for finding candidate sites, it is a welcome development.

The Economy, Trade and Industry Ministry has requested that the village of Ogasawara in Tokyo approve the implementation of a literature survey for the construction of a final disposal site. The ministry is considering the remote island of Minami-Torishima in Ogasawara as a survey candidate.

Literature surveys have been conducted in Suttsu and Kamoenai, both in Hokkaido, and Genkai in Saga Prefecture. Ogasawara will be the fourth location. This marks the first instance where the national government has proactively proposed conducting the survey without waiting for the village assembly’s resolution to accept it.

Minami-Torishima is state-owned land with no residents, and this factor, considered advantageous for construction, was apparently taken into account. On the other hand, its location 1,900 kilometers from Honshu raises concerns about increased costs.

Literature surveys are conducted based on geological documents and papers to exclude areas clearly unsuitable for construction, such as those in the vicinity of volcanoes. The surveys take over two years to complete.

Once the literature survey is complete then comes a preliminary investigation and a detailed investigation, after consent is obtained from the governor and municipal leaders.

However, regarding Suttsu and Kamoenai, where the literature survey has been completed, Hokkaido Gov. Naomichi Suzuki opposes proceeding to the preliminary investigation.

Suzuki has agreed to the restart of Hokkaido Electric Power Co.’s Tomari nuclear power plant. This decision apparently prioritizes a stable power supply as semiconductor factories and other facilities are being built within Hokkaido.

If nuclear power plants continue to be used, the construction of final disposal sites will be unavoidable. Heads of local governments are urged to also work to promote local understanding regarding the challenges associated with utilizing nuclear power plants.

To identify the optimal site with stable geological formations, it is desirable to compare as many candidate sites as possible. Countries such as Finland and Sweden, which have already selected construction sites, also narrowed down their choices step by step from six to eight candidate sites.

Deep geological disposal is the globally adopted standard for high-level radioactive waste. The repository must be constructed within the country and is unquestionably a task that requires national leadership.

If suitable sites are available, the national government should continue to actively propose them to local governments. This would also help reduce the burden on heads of municipalities, who are often left to face opposition from residents.

It is also important for the central government and the Nuclear Waste Management Organization of Japan, which is responsible for constructing the disposal site, to persistently continue their efforts to explain its necessity.

(From The Yomiuri Shimbun, March 6, 2026)