Gov't tables option to halt development of Monju reactor
TOKYO. May 23. KAZINFORM The government presented Wednesday four options for the future of Japan's trouble-prone prototype fast-breeder reactor Monju, including one to halt its development in the wake of the Fukushima nuclear crisis.
The science ministry tabled the options at a meeting of the governmental Japan Atomic Energy Commission, which has been reviewing the nation's policy of establishing a nuclear fuel reprocessing cycle that draws heavily on use of Monju. The panel will officially study the possibility of decommissioning the reactor for the first time, Kyodo reports.
The other three options involve keeping to the government's existing plan to test run the reactor for about 10 years to achieve its practical use, continuing test operation but deciding later whether to stop Monju's development based on test results, and shifting the reactor's purpose to burning radioactive waste as part of international cooperation.
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