This Week’s Update (February 12, 2013)
This Week’s Update
We present columns on nuclear power and spent nuclear fuel issues.
1) “About the Deposits of Unconventional Uranium” (in Japanese), commentary by Dr. Nobuo Ikeda. Japan’s fast-breeder reactor program has been planned on the basis that "world will run out of uranium". However, currently possibility has emerged that uranium can be supplied in a new form, and that the world can continue to use uranium for coming several hundred years. He points out that fast-breeder reactor program is loosing its very basis.
2) ”Nuclear waste: there are plenty of time to consider its measure “(in Japanese), , a column by GEPR editorial. It is a critical verification on NHK Special (some are broadcasted on NHK World as NHK documentaries) program broadcasted in Japan on February 10th, “Where does nuclear waste go? - Verification: Spent Nuclear Fuel”, and that through this, it seems subjective impression on spent nuclear fuel is spreading in society.
On nuclear waste issues, the program sent out the message that “solving it is impossible”, and “unless we have the solution, nuclear power plant should not be operated”. This column concludes that this view is not rational.
3) “Merits and Demerits of an Efficient Town – things the popular compact city abandons; energy saving, low carbon…” (in Japanese) by GEPR editorial. The concept of energy saving compact city is in fashion, however, the column appeals to verify things that would be abandoned by increase in efficiency.
”Climate Change Negotiation and Trade Negotiation” (Japanese only) , an article from IEEI, by Jun Arima，Director General at JETRO, London. Multilateral negotiations seem to always follow the same courses of confusion.
This Week’s Links
1) ”The Prospects of the Nuclear Energy”.（in Japanese） A report of November 2010, by OECD/NEA, before the Fukushima accident. It states that nuclear power is an effective measure for the global warming and mass energy supply. As in this week’s column by Ikeda, it points out that with new technologies, availability of uranium could substantially increase
