Japan has decided to reduce its plutonium stockpile, in line with its principle of possessing only the amount necessary for peaceful use, the country’s nuclear panel said Tuesday, while failing to give a numerical target.
Japan has decided to reduce its plutonium stockpile, in line with its principle of possessing only the amount necessary for peaceful use, the country’s nuclear panel said Tuesday, while failing to give a numerical target.
The Japan Atomic Energy Commission also said in the revised policy guideline that plutonium production at the planned Rokkasho reprocessing plant should be limited to the amount required to fuel the country’s nuclear reactors. The revision to the 2003 plutonium-use policy came amid international concerns about a stockpile increase and uncertainty about the recycling policy on spent nuclear fuel following the 2011 Fukushima disaster. In its updated policy, the panel said “recent circumstances surrounding the use of nuclear energy not only in Japan but also in the world” have been taken into account, while pledging to cooperate with the international community to work toward nuclear nonproliferation.
