A 1987 photo of Minamitorishima Island, site of a U.S. Coast Guard station from 1964 to 1993. (Photo: Don Sutherland, U.S. Air Force/Wikimedia Commons)
Japan will study the possibility of siting a deep geologic repository for high-level radioactive waste on the remote island of Minamitorishima, about 1,200 miles southeast of Tokyo.
Masaaki Shibuya, mayor of the village of Ogasawara, reportedly expressed his willingness to allow Japan’s government to proceed with a preliminary survey, called a literature survey, of the island, which is one of several within the Ogasawara Islands.
According to the Japan Times, Shibuya told residents on April 13, “The government should be the one to make the decision.” Shibuya also said he intended to inform Japan’s Ministry of Economy, Trade, and Industry of his intention to allow the survey, according to a report by Kyodo News.
Minamitorishima is Japan’s easternmost island and is a subprefecture of Tokyo’s municipal government. The small island has no permanent civilian population.
The survey: The literature survey represents the first phase in Japan’s three-stage site-selection framework for the geological disposal of HLW. The two-year process entails a desk-based review of existing geological, seismic, and volcanological data to assess long-term site suitability and does not authorize on-site drilling or construction.
If initiated, the Minamitorishima review would become Japan’s fourth active literature survey and the first undertaken at the direct request of the central government rather than a voluntary application from a municipality. Municipalities that agree to the survey are eligible for up to ¥2 billion (about $12.6 million) in central government grants.
Public reaction: The government reportedly expressed interest in surveying Minamitorishima in March. In response, residents of Ogasawara were said to have raised concerns about the potential repository and how the project would affect the potential seabed mining of rare-earth elements around the island, according to a report by the Asahi Shimbun.
Progress at previously identified candidate sites in Hokkaido and Saga Prefecture has slowed amid strong political and public opposition.
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