Japanese government’s nuclear reprocessing plans likely to be colossal waste of money

But the continued operation of the Monju reactor is uncertain due to
frequent malfunctions. The Japanese government has admitted that it
may not be put into commercial use until 2050, prompting criticism
that the Rokashomura facility was a colossal waste of money.

Japan Could Reprocess Nuclear Fuel from Korea
http://www.energytribune.com/69930/japan-could-reprocess-nuclear-fuel-from-korea-2
January 07, 2013 From Chosun Ilbo The Japanese government is
considering reprocessing spent nuclear fuel rods from Korea, Vietnam
and other Asian countries, the Tokyo Shimbun reported Sunday. Japan is
the only country in the world that has no nuclear weapons but the
facilities to reprocess spent nuclear fuel rods capable of producing
weapons-grade plutonium.

An advisory council to the Democratic Party of Japan in a report last
May said reprocessing spent nuclear fuel rods would “strengthen”
Japan’s diplomacy, security and the country’s economy as well as
“contribute to the peaceful use of atomic energy.”

The report suggests using the Rokashomura nuclear reprocessing plant
in Aomori Prefecture, which will become obsolete if Japan scraps all
its own nuclear power plants in the 2030s.

Japan’s Economy Minister Toshimitsu Motegi recently said that no
concrete decision has been made to scrap the country’s reprocessing
facilities entirely. The Rokashomura facility reprocesses spent
nuclear fuel from all nuclear plants in Japan.

Japan spent more than W30 trillion (US$1=W1,064) building the facility
because the plutonium it extracts could be used to power the Monju
sodium-cooled fast reactor in southwestern Japan.

But the continued operation of the Monju reactor is uncertain due to
frequent malfunctions. The Japanese government has admitted that it
may not be put into commercial use until 2050, prompting criticism
that the Rokashomura facility was a colossal waste of money. A
bilateral nuclear energy pact between Washington and Tokyo allowing
Japan to reprocess spent nuclear fuel rods expires in 2018. The U.S.
could insist on revising the agreement so it prohibits further
reprocessing.

The Tokyo Shimbun said talks between Seoul and Washington to revise
their bilateral nuclear energy pact will serve as the bellwether for
talks with Tokyo. The daily said the U.S. may ask Japan to reprocess
spent fuel rods from Korea if it wants to continue, and that Tokyo
would likely accept the offer.

Korea’s capacity to store spent nuclear fuel rods reaches saturation
point in 2016, and Seoul is seeking to reprocess its own spent nuclear
fuel rods or to enrich uranium, but Washington is against the plans to
forestall proliferation.