A reconsideration on deep sea bed disposal of high level radiological wastes – a post-Fukushima reflection on sustainable nuclear energy in Japan

YOSHIKAWA Hidekazu^1,2

1. Non Profit Organization Symbio Community Forum, Co. Research Inst. Applied Sciences, Sakyo, 606-8202 Kyoto, Japan (yosikawa@kib.biglobe.ne.jp)
2. College of Nuclear Science and Technology, Harbin Engineering University, Harbin, China

Abstract: The ultimate disposal of high-level radioactive waste (HLW) is a common issue among all nuclear developing countries. However, this becomes especially a hard issue for sustainable nuclear energy in Japan after Fukushima Daiichi accident. In this paper, the difficulty of realizing underground HLW disposal in Japanese islands is first discussed from socio-political aspects. Then, revival of old idea of deep seabed disposal of HLW in Pacific Ocean is proposed as an alternative way of HLW disposal. Although this old idea had been abandoned in the past for the reason that it would violate London Convention which prohibits dumping radioactive wastes in public sea, the author will stress the merit of seabed disposal of HLW deep in Pacific Ocean not only from the view point of more safe and ultimate way of disposing HLWs (both vitrified and spent fuel) than by underground disposal, but also the emergence of new marine project by synergetic collaboration of rare-earth resource exploration from the deep sea floor in Pacific Ocean.
Keyword: high-level radioactive waste disposal; geological HLW disposal; seabed HLW disposal; rare-earth resource;