The mayor of a Tokyo village expressed a willingness to allow the government to conduct a survey on the suitability of Minamitori Island, which is located at the easternmost edge of the country’s territory in the Pacific, as an underground disposal site for high-level radioactive waste.
“The decision (on whether to conduct the survey) should be made responsibly by the government,” Ogasawara Mayor Masaaki Shibuya said during a community meeting on Hahajima Island, part of the Ogasawara chain. Another meeting will be held late in the day on Chichijima Island.
Shibuya said he wanted “firm assurances” that the site has not already been chosen, from the Nuclear Waste Management Organization, a quasi-governmental body in Tokyo that runs high-level radioactive waste disposal projects.
According to the organization, if the survey begins, the island will become the fourth such site. The first stage of the three-stage survey has been completed in Suttsu and Kamoenai in Hokkaido, and is currently underway in Genkai in Saga Prefecture.
Unlike the other three municipalities, however, Minamitori Island, which is under the jurisdiction of the Tokyo Metropolitan Government, has no civilian population. Its only inhabitants are Japanese Maritime Self-Defense Force members and government personnel.
The survey begins either when municipalities apply or when the government seeks their consent, with participating municipalities receiving up to 2 billion yen in stipends. The first stage takes about two years, while the entire process is expected to last around 20 years.
The Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry sought consent from the Ogasawara village in March and explained the survey process and disposal methods to local residents in four sessions together with the organization.
While concerns over negative publicity and environmental impact were evident, the ministry said some residents were supportive.
In a village newsletter published on April 1, Shibuya said, “As mayor, I will take various opinions into account and convey my views directly,” ahead of Monday’s community meetings.
© KYODO
