Fast-breeder reactor 'Monju' lacks safety controls

Japan Press Weekly

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Fast-breeder reactor 'Monju' lacks safety controls

The Japan Atomic Energy Agency has attributed a rash of problems in the fast-breeder reactor "Monju" in Fukui Prefecture to the lack of awareness of safety issues.

"Monju" operations have been suspended since the 1995 sodium leakage and fire accidents.

The JAEA submitted a report analyzing troubles that occurred at "Monju" on April 22 to a panel of the Ministry of Economy, Trade, and Industry.

The report will likely draw public criticism of the government move toward restarting "Monju" operations.

Even as the JAEA prepared for the restart of its operations, serious problems have emerged one after another, including a mistake in installing sodium leak detectors.

The report points out that the poor awareness of the safety of "Monju" is the root cause of a spate of troubles, and that a drastic cut in the maintenance costs of "Monju" is the cause of these problems. It also notes that although measures are taken in response to each trouble, but efforts to prevent accidents are inadequate.

"Monju" uses highly-dangerous plutonium as its fuel, but the appropriateness of technologies related to the use of sodium and plutonium have not been not yet confirmed as shown in the 1995 accident. Although "Monju" has been taken out of operation, the government pours more than 10 billion yen a year into the restart of the reactor.

The government should give up resuming "Monju" operations and put a halt to it on the grounds that the safety controls at "Monju" are full of holes and it is a wasteful use of tax money.

- Akahata, April 23, 2009