Rokkasho, Aomori

Rokkasho
六ヶ所村
Village

Rokkasho Nuclear Reprocessing Plant

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Location of Rokkasho in Aomori Prefecture
Rokkasho

 

Coordinates: 40°58′02″N 141°22′28″E / 40.96722°N 141.37444°ECoordinates: 40°58′02″N 141°22′28″E / 40.96722°N 141.37444°E
Country Japan
Region Tōhoku
Prefecture Aomori Prefecture
District Kamikita
Area
 • Total 253.01 km2 (97.69 sq mi)
Population (November 2013)
 • Total 10,899
 • Density 43.3/km2 (112/sq mi)
Time zone Japan Standard Time (UTC+9)
- Tree Japanese black pine
- Flower Daylily
- Bird White-tailed eagle
Phone number 0175-72-2111
Address 475, Noduki, Obuchi
039-3212
Website Official website

Rokkasho (六ヶ所村 Rokkasho-mura) is a village in Kamikita District of northeastern Aomori Prefecture in the Tōhoku region of Japan. As of November 2013, the village had an estimated population of 10,899 and a population density of 43.1 persons per km². Its total area was 253.01 square kilometres (97.69 sq mi).

Geography

Rokkasho occupies the eastern coastline of the base of Shimokita Peninsula, facing the Pacific Ocean. The village has a cold maritime climate characterized by cool short summers and long cold winters with heavy snowfall. The village forms the northern shoreline of Lake Ogawara.

Neighbouring municipalities

History

The area around Rokkasho was known for its horses during the Kamakura period. During the Edo period, it was controlled by the Nambu clan of Morioka Domain. During the cadastral reform of 1889, Rokkasho Village was proclaimed from the merger of six small hamlets.

Economy

The economy of Rokkasho has traditionally been dependent on agriculture and commercial fishing. From the 1980s onwards, the village has become a center for various energy developments, which now dominate the local economy

Nuclear industry

Nuclear fuel cycle related facilities:

The Japan Atomic Energy Agency also has multiple facilities at the site.

Since the 1970s local opposition to plans to operate Japan's first large commercial plutonium plant at Rokkasho have focused on the threat of a large-scale release of radioactivity. During the 1990s anti-nuclear groups in Japan released studies showing the risks of routine operation of the Rokkasho Reprocessing Plant. The facility in full operation is designed to separate as much as 8 tons of plutonium each year from spent reactor fuel from Japan's domestic nuclear reactors. As of 2006 Japan owned approximately 45 tons of separated plutonium.[1][2][3][4][5][6][7][8]

In May, 2006 an international awareness campaign about the dangers of the Rokkasho reprocessing plant, Stop Rokkasho,[9] was launched by musician Ryuichi Sakamoto. Greenpeace has opposed operation of the Rokkasho Reprocessing Plant under a campaign called "Wings of Peace: No more Hiroshima, Nagasaki. Stop Rokkasho",[10] since 2002 and has launched a cyberaction[11] to stop the project.

Rokkasho was a candidate to host the plasma fusion reactor ITER, but lost out to Cadarache, France. Rokkasho has been hosting high-performance supercomputer[12] centre capable of performing complex plasma physics calculations for fusion research, since January 2012.[13]

Gas and wind power

Agriculture

Stock raising is prevalent.

Fishing

Three small fishing ports.

Transportation

Highway

Documentary

A documentary, Rokkasho Rhapsody, came out in 2006, which portrays the Rokkasho community's views on the nuclear reprocessing plant.[15]

Sister cities

Notes

  1. ↑ "What is Reprocessing?". Green Action. Retrieved 23 March 2011.
  2. ↑ "ROKKASHO-MURA TO BE WORLD'S LARGEST SOURCE OF RADIOACTIVE KRYPTON GREENPEACE CALLS FOR FULL DISCLOSURE" (Press release). Greenpeace Japan. 22 November 2002. Retrieved 23 March 2011.
  3. ↑ Barnaby, Frank; Burnie, Shaun (12 November 2002). "Planning for failure: International nuclear safeguards and the Rokkasho-mura reprocessing plant" (PDF). Greenpeace. Retrieved 23 March 2011.
  4. ↑ "Rokkasho and Japan's Nuclear Fuel Cycle Policy". Citizens' Nuclear Information Center. Retrieved 23 March 2011.
  5. ↑ Barnabie, Frank; Burnie, Shaun (8 September 2005). "Thinking the Unthinkable: Japanese nuclear power and proliferation in East Asia". The Asia-Pacific Journal: Japan Focus. Retrieved 23 March 2011.
  6. ↑ "Japanese, South Korean Plutonium Plants Raise Security Concerns in Region". WMD Insights. February 2006. Archived from the original on 28 September 2007. Retrieved 23 March 2011.
  7. ↑ Salzberg, Chris (21 March 2008). "Japan: Rokkasho nuclear reprocessing plant fuels debate". Global Voices Online. Retrieved 23 March 2011.
  8. ↑ Norrie, Justin (26 April 2008). "Japan's nuclear waste will spill from new plant's chimney". The Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved 23 March 2011.
  9. ↑ "stop-rokkasho.org". Stop Rokkasho. Retrieved 23 March 2011.
  10. ↑ "Wings of Peace: No more Hiroshima, Nagasaki. Stop Rokkasho". Greenpeace Japan. Retrieved 23 March 2011.
  11. ↑ "No more Hiroshima Nagasaki Stop the plutonium production plant at Rokkasho!". Greenpeace Japan. Retrieved 23 March 2011.
  12. ↑ "Helios". TOP500. Retrieved 20 November 2012.
  13. ↑ "Rokkasho to host supercomputer for fusion research". ITER. Retrieved 21 April 2011.
  14. ↑ "NAS Battery energy storage system" (PDF). NGK Insulators. 2013. Retrieved 2015-01-24.
  15. ↑ Rokkashomura Rhapsody at the Internet Movie Database

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Rokkasho, Aomori.