Dec 06 (Japan Times) - Fukui Gov. Issei Nishikawa says he's willing to accept the central government's plan to decommission the trouble-prone Monju prototype fast-breeder reactor in the city of Tsuruga.
At a meeting Wednesday at the Prime Minister's Office, Nishikawa said the decommissioning of experimental Monju cannot be helped.
The governor reluctantly announced his support for the decision after it promised to move the radioactive waste from the reactor, including the spent fuel, out of his prefecture.
According to the basic draft of the policy for scrapping Monju, which was presented by the central government, the fuel will be removed from the core 5½ years after the decommissioning process begins. The facility is supposed to be dismantled within 30 years.
"I said at the meeting that the decommissioning of Monju can't be helped, because a direction on future steps and regional measures was presented," Nishikawa told reporters after the meeting. "In particular, a plan to move spent fuel and sodium used to cool the reactor out of the prefecture promptly was confirmed," he said.
Source: ANNnewsCH
