Nuke Info Tokyo No. 129 (March/April 2009)

Stop MOX Shipments!
A shipment of MOX (mixed plutonium and uranium oxide) fuel bound for Japan left the port of Cherbourg in France on March 5. The ships will go around South Africa, through the Tasman Sea between Australia and New Zealand and up through the islands of the Pacific.

Plutonium Utilization Plans for FY 2009
These plutonium utilization plans are essentially meaningless. There is no indication of when the plutonium separated at the Rokkasho Reprocessing Plant will be used up. The sole purpose of the plans is to create an alibi to justify the operation of the plant.

KK-7: to restart or not to restart
Will science be sacrificed for the sake of national policy? To restart the reactor would be a huge gamble. It would fly in the face of the safety-first principle.

Rokkasho Reprocessing Plant: Leak of 150 Liters HLW in Vitrification Facility
Active testing of the Rokkasho Reprocessing Plant continues to be plagued by problems and accidents. In January 2009, 150 liters of high-level liquid radioactive waste (HLW) leaked from pipes in the vitrification cell, so JNFL was forced to extend the start-up date by a further six-months to August this year.

Bilateral Nuclear Cooperation Agreements with Russia and Kazakhstan
There have been several reports that the Japan-Russia agreement will be signed soon. Mr Putin plans to visit Japan in May and may sign an ageement then.

Shika-2: Unjust Verdict!
Seismic safety assessment of nuclear power plants should demonstrate that the plants are able to withstand earthquakes that could potentially occur in future. This verdict completely fails to address this issue. Instead of inspiring confidence in the safety of the Shika-2 plant, the verdict rather makes us even more worried.

Group Introduction: Hangempatsu Shimbun and the National Network Against Nuclear Energy
The National Network Against Nuclear Energy was formed in March 1978, bringing together networks throughout Japan opposed to nuclear energy. A newspaper entitled Hangempatsu Shimbun (Anti-Nuclear Power Newspaper) has been published each month since May of that year.

News Watch
—Otsuki Town rejects radioactive waste dump
—Close-down of Tsuruga-1 to be delayed
—Toshiba secures first EPC agreement in US
—57.8% Capacity Factor in 2008
—Restart of Monju delayed again