Southwestern Japan City Briefed on N-Waste Site Survey

Kushima, Miyazaki Pref., Oct. 23 (Jiji Press)--Japan's industry ministry on Friday briefed the city of Kushima in the southwestern prefecture of Miyazaki about a possible literature survey, the first phase of the three-part process to select a final disposal site for high-level radioactive waste from nuclear power plants.

Kushima Mayor Koichi Takeda told reporters after the briefing that the ministry did not ask the city to accept the survey, saying that nothing has been decided on the matter.

The briefing was held at the request of the ministry. Similar explanations were provided to the city of Nichinan and the town of Mimata in Miyazaki, as well as the city of Shibushi in neighboring Kagoshima Prefecture. A ministry official said that it gave an explanation about the national government's energy policy in general.

Literature surveys were conducted or are continuing at five locations--the town of Suttsu and the village of Kamoenai in the northernmost prefecture of Hokkaido, the town of Genkai in the southwestern prefecture of Saga, Minamitorishima, an island in Tokyo's Ogasawara chain, and the city of Hitachiomiya in the eastern prefecture of Ibaraki.

Kushima and the nearby municipalities may be asked by the ministry to allow a survey.

[Copyright The Jiji Press, Ltd.]