Poison Fire, Sacred Earth,
TESTIMONIES, LECTURES, CONCLUSIONS,
THE WORLD URANIUM HEARING, SALZBURG 1992
pages 202-203
So today, Japanese government and the
nuclear power industry are constructing
comprehensive nuclear fuel plants in Rokkasho
Biretsh in Armony prefectures. This facility,
formerly called the Nuclear Fuel Cycle Facilities,
will play a vital role in Japanese plutonium's
utilization programs. The locational nuclear
complex consists of the four facilities: uranium
enrichment, nuclear fuel reprocessing, a low-level
radioactive waste disposal and high-level
radioactive waste storage. When this complex
goes into operation, Japan will be able to carry
out a full nuclear fuel cycle from enriching
uranium to reprocessing spent fuel and the
disposing of radioactive waste. . . . In
order to get business from Germany and Japan,
both England and France have tried to cut the
processing costs by lowering safety
standards. . . . If the Rokkasho Biretsh complex
goes into full operations as
planned by the Japanese government, it will be
one of the largest facilities of its kind in the
world. With these new facilities Japan will be
able to produce 200 tons of plutonium over the
next 13 years, as much plutonium as contained in
the combined nuclear arsenals of the United
States and the former Soviet Union. The arms of
the radioactive materials that will be one hundred
at the plant annually will exceed the permissible
level for one trillion people. It will be the largest
concentration of radioactive materials in the
world.
. . . Also an earthquake
entry in this district and two faults are located
right under the facilities.
As mentioned above, Japan has been sending
it's spent fuel to England and France to do
reprocessing. Since the contract stipulates that
plutonium and the radioactive wastes resulting from
reprocessing be returned to the country of its
origin, this waste will have to be shipped back to
Japan. According to Japanese government, 30 tons
of plutonium will be returned to Japan from
France and England between 1992 and 2010. One
boat is capable of transporting over one ton of
plutonium, enough to make 150 atomic bombs. That
approximates the entire nuclear arsenal of
China or of Israel and India combined which those
nations have taken care to develop. . . . This
will be the first of 30 such shipments planned
for the next 17 years. . . .
The Japanese nuclear program poses the
threats of ecological catastrophe not only to Japan
but to the entire planet. There are unacceptable
risks involved in every phase of the program from
the construction of nuclear facilities to the
transport of radioactive wastes over sea and land. We
must bring plutonium production and transport
to an end in Japan and every country in the world.
Kiyoshi Miyata
Kiyoshi Miyata, Japan. Film producer.
Brothers and Sisters in all nations! My name is
Kiyoshi Miyata. I'm a film maker of the "Hopi
Prophecy". I'm one of the members of the
Plutonium Free Future in the United States and
Berkeley in California.
So today, Japanese government and the
nuclear power industry are constructing
comprehensive nuclear fuel plants in Rokkasho
Biretsh in Armony prefectures. This facility,
formerly called the Nuclear Fuel Cycle Facilities,
will play a vital role in Japanese plutonium's
utilization programs. The locational nuclear
complex consists of the four facilities: uranium
enrichment, nuclear fuel reprocessing, a low-level
radioactive waste disposal and high-level
radioactive waste storage. When this complex
goes into operation, Japan will be able to carry
out a full nuclear fuel cycle from enriching
uranium to reprocessing spent fuel and the
disposing of radioactive waste. This is happening
at a time when other industrialized countries are
phasing out industrial nuclear fuel reprocessing
due to the hazard of handling plutonium and the
enormous costs involved. Since Japan does not yet
have full scale reprocessing facilities, it has
contracted with England and France to do the
reprocessing. Over 30 percent of the costs of
building the French de la Hague facilities and
English plant at Sellafield was paid by Japan. In
order to get business from Germany and Japan,
both England and France have tried to cut the
processing costs by lowering safety standards. The
plutonium contaminations in the vicinity of
these facilities in various cities now, many cases
of leukemia have been reported by workers and
their family members in areas near Sellafield and
de la Hague. If the Rokkasho Biretsh, if the
Rokkasho complex goes into full operations as
planned by the Japanese government, it will be
one of the largest facilities of its kind in the
world. With these new facilities Japan will be
able to produce 200 tons of plutonium over the
next 13 years, as much plutonium as contained in
the combined nuclear arsenals of the United
States and the former Soviet Union. The arms of
the radioactive materials that will be one hundred
at the plant annually will exceed the permissible
level for one trillion people. It will be the largest
concentration of radioactive materials in the
world.
Armed airplanes fly daily over the
Rokkasho Biretsh, the Rokkasho complex which
is surrounded by military base of the United
States. So far, there have been more than 50
crashes around in these areas. Also an earthquake
entry in this district and two faults are located
right under the facilities.
As mentioned above,
Japan has been sending it's spent fuel to England
and France to do reprocessing. Since the contract
stipulates that plutonium and the radioactive
wastes resulting from reprocessing be returned
to the country of its
origin, this waste will have to be shipped back to
Japan. According to Japanese government, 30 tons
of plutonium will be returned to Japan from
France and England between 1992 and 2010. One
boat is capable of transporting over one ton of
plutonium, enough to make 150 atomic bombs. That
approximates the entire nuclear arsenal of
China or of Israel and India combined which those
nations have taken care to develop. On August
24th this year, the freighter Akazukimaru departed
from Yokohama in Japan for the France port
where it will pick up its cargo of one ton of
plutonium. This ship, escorted by a mighty armed
cruiser of the Japanese coast guard, will then
begin its 7,000 miles journey back to Japan. This
escort cruiser is not equipped to withstand a
missiles attack. This will be the first of 30 such
shipments planned for the next 17 years. The plutonium
was chemically separated from Japanese nuclear waste
at de la Hague reprocessing plant in France and will
be used for Japan's energy program, a release of five
percent of plutonium shipment in conscience. A
shipboard fire or a sinking can cause irreparable
damage to the environment. Just one millionth of an
ounce of plutonium insults to the human beings and its
half life is 24,000 years. Plutonium is also an
essential component for nuclear weapons. So, this
makes the Akazukimaru a highly desirable target for
terrorists and others seeking to acquire nuclear
weapons.
The Japanese nuclear program poses the
threats of ecological catastrophe not only to Japan
but to the entire planet. There are unacceptable
risks involved in every phase of the program from
the construction of nuclear facilities to the
transport of radioactive wastes over sea and land. We
must bring plutonium production and transport
to an end in Japan and every country in the world. So
this information about the shipping is very
unknown in Japan, as for now. Most of the
Japanese people are not aware of this danger. So
if you can share our concern as the same children
of the Mother Earth, please fill the postcard in the
hallway and send them from your countries. The
more detailed information is available in one of
the free booklets.
So, please help stop Japanese
plutonium energy drives! Thank you for
listening.