The Ministry of Industry proposes Hitachiomiya. Residents’ doubts about earthquakes
The Japanese government has started the process to evaluate Hitachiomiya, a city in the Ibaraki prefecture north-east of the capital, as a possible site for the permanent storage of high-intensity radioactive waste.
This was announced by the Ministry of Industry, which asked the municipality for the green light to start preliminary investigations in the area. If the plan is accepted, the municipality of 35 thousand inhabitants will become the fifth place subjected to this type of investigation, after the cities of Suttsu and Kamoenai in Hokkaido prefecture, Genkai, in Saga prefecture, and the Ogasawara islands, administered by Tokyo. The selection procedure involves three phases and extends over approximately twenty years. The first preliminary survey, lasting two years, guarantees the participating municipality state subsidies of up to 2 billion yen, approximately 11 million euros. Mayor Sadayuki Suzuki welcomed the proposal with caution but openness, reiterating that he wanted to listen to the city assembly before deciding. However, the local press writes, fears are emerging among residents, fueled by the increasing frequency of earthquakes. Disposal involves the vitrification of the liquid waste resulting from the reprocessing of spent fuel and their burial over 300 meters deep, where they will have to remain isolated for tens of thousands of years.
