Current Status and Future Challenges of Nuclear Materials Transportation in Japan

It is my great honor to be given this opportunity to speak in this plenary session. I would like to speak about the current status and the future challenge of nuclear materials transportation in Japan. Thirty-four years ago fresh nuclear fuel was transported from the United States of America to Japan and 26 years ago spent fuel was shipped off to the United Kingdom for the first time. Today, Japan is in the third position of the nuclear power generation countries in the world, with its capacity of 33,240 MW of 41 units. Nuclear power accounts for 30 % of the total power generated in Japan. The national nuclear power development plan aims at a goal of 72,500 MW in the year 2010. Up to now nuclear fuel and materials have been satisfactorily transported, in inland and abroad, and we have never experienced any accident in nuclear materials transportation. Uranium is a precious resource. To effectively utilize and assure stable supply of uranium, we have been striving to complete the nuclear fuel cycle in our country. Since the current position of light water reactors is expected to continue in the future, plutonium, which is a precious resource generated in the light water reactors, will be utilized for light water reactors together with the recovered uranium. At the same time, plutonium will be utilized for fast breeder reactors at better efficiency. To accomplish recycling of uranium resources in Japan, we are now promoting the construction of a private reprocessing facility at Rokkasho-mura, Aomori Prefecture. At this Rokkasho-mura, a uranium enrichment facility is now in operation to assure stable supply of enriched uranium, and a facility for burying low-level wastes from nuclear power plants is under construction. It is our basic principle to reprocess spent fuel for recycling. However, in the transient stage until the completion of the future nuclear fuel cycle wherein plutonium is used in fast breeder reactors, it will be necessary to have a more flexible strategy; putting spent fuel in temporary storage and reprocessing spent fuel at a slower rate. Nuclear power generation and nuclear fuel cycle must be promoted in a closely connected manner. The nuclear fuel transport is the \"arteries\" of the nuclear power industry. The demand for energy in Japan would be met by the nuclear power generation in future as well as at present. In order to assure a smooth development of nuclear power generation, it is essential to circulate nuclear fuel, like the \"blood,\" smoothly from the front end to the back end of the nuclear fuel cycle through its elements (facilities) by means of transportation. On the other hand, although the power plants and fuel cycle facilities themselves are separated from the public to a considerable distance by establishing control areas, the transportation has a possibility of access to the general public since the transportation is carried out on public roads by vehicles. Accordingly, it is essential to secure public acceptance, by means of safety regulation, safety evaluation and safety measures. Especially, safety assurance of transportation is important in Japan since it is densely populated. To this end, there is a necessity for Japan of conducting many R & D activities on safe transportation. With such a background, the research and development activities in Japan on nuclear materials transportation have been quite active and extensive, aiming to assure safe transportation and to sophisticate and rationalize technologies for future. At this symposium a total of 68 papers will be presented by Japan.