Hitachiomiya Approves First Step Toward Nuclear Waste Site Survey

In a press conference, Hitachiomiya’s mayor Sadayuki Suzuki announced the city’s consent to a two-year preliminary survey aimed at evaluating its potential as a high-level nuclear waste disposal site. This marks the fifth location in Japan to enter the first stage of a roughly 20-year selection programme overseen by the industry ministry. The survey will review geological conditions, including erosion risk, based on published maps and academic research, and municipalities that participate may be granted up to 2 billion yen in subsidies.

Suzuki had previously delayed the decision while residents voiced worries about stigma, but after discussions with Economy, Trade and Industry Minister Ryosei Akazawa, those concerns were largely eased. The disposal method involves vitrifying liquid waste from spent fuel reprocessing and burying the solid glass form more than 300 metres below ground, where it must remain isolated for tens of thousands of years.