The Policy Review Regarding the “Completion of Decommissioning of 1F by 2051”

Abstract

The earthquake and tsunami accompanying the Great East Japan Earthquake on March 11th, 2011, caused a chain reaction of severe accidents at four reactors and their buildings at the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Station (1F), resulting in widespread radioactive contamination and displacing up to 165,000 evacuees. By December 17, 2011, Units 1, 2, and 3 of 1F had reached a cold shutdown state (a stable state where the water temperature inside the reactor is below 100℃). The Japanese Government and Tokyo Electric Power Company (TEPCO) then formulated the “Medium-to-Long-Term Roadmap,” which established the policy for decommissioning 1F. The Mid-to-Long-Term Roadmap stated that decommissioning would be completed 30 to 40 years after December 17, 2011, which is referred to as “Fukushima Daiichi Decommissioning Completion in 2051.” However, most experts in the nuclear field now believe that completing the decommissioning of Fukushima Daiichi by 2051 is impossible. Despite this, the government and TEPCO remain adamant about adhering to the goal established in December 2011: “to complete the decommissioning (decommissioning measures) of 1F by 2051.” This study examines the nature of the problem with the “2051 completion of 1F decommissioning” target, which the government and TEPCO stubbornly adhere to, and the necessity and methodology for revising it.