Japanese Plutonium Stockpiles: A Transportation, Storage, and Public Relations Challenge
2003
Turner, William D.
In accordance with Japan's nuclear policies, Japanese nuclear power companies have regularly shipped depleted uranium fuel to reprocessing plants in the United Kingdom and France. These British and French companies extract plutonium from Japanese spent fuel; the newly reprocessed plutonium may be used to create a derivative nuclear fuel called MOX (mixed oxide fuel). Currently, the Japanese government seeks to use MOX fuel to serve Japan's economic growth, energy self-sufficiency, and national security needs. The Japanese government suggests that reprocessed plutonium must be used as MOX fuel to prevent others from using the plutonium to create weapons. Currently, large stockpiles of highly reactive plutonium and reprocessing wastes wait in the United Kingdom and France for transport back to Japan, raising many safety concerns for nations that lie along the shipping route. This article examines the advantages and disadvantages to Japan's MOX program and considers alternatives to MOX fuel.
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