27/09 春秋

2011/9/27付

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　時代はちょうど日本の幕末。池上永一さんの小説「テンペスト」は、滅亡へと至る琉球王国の末期を、壮大なロマンを織り交ぜて描いた大作だ。仲間由紀恵さんが主演し、ＮＨＫのＢＳ時代劇でも放映された。ご存じの人も多いだろう。

▼主人公は頭脳明敏な美少女の真鶴。男装して名を孫寧温と改め、王府入りして、次々と難題を解決していく。奇想天外な物語だ。かのペリーの琉球来航も、巧みな外交術で上手にあしらってしまう。寧温が実在してくれたら……。読み進めていくと思わず、いまの沖縄の米軍普天間基地の移設問題と重ねてしまう。

▼「結果を出す時期」。先の日米首脳会談で、米国が普天間問題の進展を促した。現実はどうか。辺野古移設の日米合意は風前のともしび。地元の安全を考えれば、周囲に住宅が密集する普天間の固定化も避けたい。一方で、日米同盟の重みも無視できない。首相は沖縄説得に全力を挙げるというが、解はあるのか。

▼「どうか琉球を愛し続けてください」「日本に併合されたことを五十年後、百年後の民が心から喜べるように琉球を愛すると約束します」。かの「テンペスト」の終章。真鶴と、互いに恋する日本の内務官僚の間にこんな会話がある。沖縄出身の池上さん、いや沖縄の人々の悲痛な願いのようにも、聞こえてくる。

27/09 Japanese couples going to Thailand to pick sex of child

BY AKIKO OKAZAKI STAFF WRITER
2011/09/27

A growing number of married Japanese couples are paying big bucks in Thailand to ensure their baby is the sex they want.
In the past year, at least 30 married couples have traveled to the country for gender selection, which requires the diagnosis of fertilized eggs, according to a survey by The Asahi Shimbun.
In Japan, diagnoses of fertilized eggs are allowed only for serious genetic diseases or possible miscarriages, on the grounds that it could lead to selective breeding.
According to Thai brokers, they communicate with their Japanese customers through e-mail messages and meet them when they come to Thailand. Many of these married couples have already had two or more male children and are wanting a female child.
The cost for the diagnosis is about 1.5 million yen ($19,600). The brokers report that the number of customers is increasing, and since summer, they have been receiving requests from seven or eight couples a month.
A clinic in Bangkok said, "In addition to Japanese, we have many customers from China and India. Almost all of our customers from those countries are hoping for male children."
Thailand, which has been improving its medical technology, is becoming advanced in the medical treatment field and is enjoying a growing popularity among overseas patients. About 15 medical institutions are conducting diagnoses of fertilized eggs.
The Asahi Shimbun interviewed two medical institutions that are often used by Japanese couples. There, they found that Japanese couples have been increasing over the past two or three years, with about 30 couples undergoing diagnoses of fertilized eggs during the past year for gender selection.
Originally, diagnosis of fertilized eggs was conducted to see whether the babies that will be born are suffering from genetic diseases. After an in vitro fertilized egg divides into four or eight cells, one or two of them are removed to see whether there are abnormal genes or chromosomes.
When doctors diagnose the fertilized egg, however, they can also see whether the baby will be male or female.
The diagnosis requires in vitro fertilization. Therefore, even married couples who are not infertile are offering their sperm and eggs for in vitro fertilization.
According to the Thai royal society of obstetrics and gynecology, diagnosis of fertilized eggs is conducted about 600 times a year in Thailand. Of those, about 60 to 70 percent are used for gender selection.
According to the society's guidelines, diagnosis of fertilized eggs is not allowed except for the checking of genetic diseases. However, the society's guidelines are not binding on doctors, and there is no punishment mandated even if they break them. Therefore, the diagnoses are used widely for gender selection.
In Germany, diagnosis of fertilized eggs is prohibited on the grounds that it could lead to selective breeding and the concept of eugenics. In particular, the diagnosis has many ethical concerns in the case of gender selection because the fertilized eggs are abandoned when the sexes of the children are not what the parents want.
Many of the countries that allow the diagnosis of fertilized eggs for genetic diseases do not do so for gender selection.
In Japan, the necessity of diagnosis of fertilized eggs is individually examined only for serious genetic diseases or possible miscarriages under the guidelines of the Japan Society of Obstetrics and Gynecology. Those genetic diseases include muscular dystrophy.
Since 2004, only about 200 cases have been approved at 11 facilities, including Keio University and Nagoya City University.

27/09 Pro-nuclear mayor wins re-election in Kaminoseki

BY JUNKO WATANABE STAFF WRITER

2011/09/27

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Shigemi Kashiwabara after winning re-election as mayor of Kaminoseki, Yamaguchi Prefecture, on Sept. 25. (Shoma Fujimaki)

KAMINOSEKI, Yamaguchi Prefecture -- Shigemi Kashiwabara, the incumbent mayor who backed a plan to build a nuclear power plant in this western Japanese city, easily won re-election against an anti-nuclear opponent on Sept. 25.

In the first local government leadership election in an area where a new nuclear power plant is planned since the Fukushima disaster, Kashiwabara, 62, secured a third term with 1,868 votes. His opponent, Sadao Yamato, 61, got only 905 votes.

During the campaign, Kashiwabara said he would concentrate on town development and leave the issue of whether to construct the nuclear power plant to the central government.

"I still believe that there is no revenue that can replace that associated with nuclear power," he said after his victory. "It has become unclear how the Kaminoseki nuclear power plant will be handled since the Fukushima accident. We ask the central government to (make a decision) while taking our stance into account."

Yamato argued that there was no longer a national policy supporting nuclear power and called on residents to develop their town without relying on nuclear subsidies.

The accident at the Fukushima No. 1 nuclear power plant has forced Chugoku Electric Power Co. to suspend preparatory work for the Kaminoseki nuclear facility. Many residents suspect the plant may never be built, and Kashiwabara appears to have won support from these neutral voters as well as supporters of nuclear power.

Many voters apparently preferred Kashiwabara's local administrative skills to Yamato's experience as leader of an anti-nuclear organization.

A 71-year-old woman who works part time said she voted for Kashiwabara because she believed that he could revitalize the community.

"I am concerned about risks involved in a nuclear power plant, but our town will decline without it," she said. "I don't care whether it will be built or not."

The town has been divided between pro-nuclear and anti-nuclear camps since plans for the Kaminoseki nuclear power plant surfaced in 1982. Since then, pro-nuclear candidates have won all nine mayoral elections.

27/09 U.S. secretly asked Japan to help dump nuclear reactors

BY TAKUYA SUZUKI STAFF WRITER

2011/09/27

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A Russian Navy vessel dumps liquid radioactive waste into waters near Japan in October 1993. (Asahi Shimbun file photo)

The United States secretly sought Japan's support in 1972 to enable it to dump decommissioned nuclear reactors into the world's oceans under the London Convention, an international treaty being drawn up at the time.

Countries working on the wording of the pact wanted to specifically prohibit the dumping of radioactive waste at sea.

But Washington wanted to incorporate an exceptional clause in the case of decommissioned nuclear reactors.

These facts came to light in diplomatic records held by the Foreign Ministry in Tokyo and released at the request of The Asahi Shimbun.

Japan did not offer a clear answer when it was approached by the United States on the issue. Eventually, however, Washington succeeded in incorporating the clause into the treaty.

In 1972, the United States was already dismantling early-stage nuclear reactors that had been used for testing. However, the disposal method of large-scale nuclear reactors for commercial purposes had not been decided although it was an issue that could not be shelved indefinitely.

Since Japan, a key U.S. ally, had already started its own nuclear power generation program, Washington did not hesitate to seek Tokyo's backing for its request.

It was apparent that the United States constructed nuclear reactors without having decided on disposal methods, forcing it to consider dumping them at sea after they were decommissioned.

The documents obtained by The Asahi Shimbun were signed by Japan's ambassador to Britain and designated as top secret.

According to the records, a U.S. State Department official who was part of the U.S. delegation discussing the terms of the treaty, met his Japanese counterpart in November 1972. In that meeting, the official explained that the United States had a number of early-stage nuclear reactors which had reached their life spans. He said Washington was facing problems disposing of them.

The official noted that any attempt to bury the reactors on land would invite a public backlash.

He also pointed to the financial difficulty of scientifically processing the reactors until the risk of radioactive contamination was totally eliminated.

Then, the official said the only other option was to dump them at sea, and asked Japan for cooperation.

According to Kumao Kaneko, now aged 74 and then a member of the Foreign Ministry team involved in the negotiations, Japan did not take specific steps to assist the United States in this delicate matter.

Eventually, during the general meeting of countries for the London Convention, the United States proposed incorporating a clause that would enable it to dump nuclear reactors at sea in exceptional cases in which all other means of disposal presented a risk to human health.

When presenting the proposal, the United States made no mention of its intention to dump its nuclear reactors at sea far into the future. The proposal was accepted.

In the early 1970s, sea pollution was a huge international issue.

Against that backdrop, countries worked feverishly to put the finishing touches on the London Convention. The treaty designated high-level radioactive substances as well as other materials, including mercury and cadmium, as waste whose dumping at sea is prohibited.

In 1993 revisions to the London Convention, the dumping of radioactive waste at sea was totally prohibited. However, the clause that approved of dumping in exceptional cases remained.

For this reason, under the London Convention, it is possible for member countries of the treaty to dump radioactive waste at sea if they obtain the OK from the other parties as well as the International Atomic Energy Agency.

According to the IAEA, the United States has not dumped radioactive waste at sea since 1970. Instead, it buries decommissioned nuclear reactors underground.

27/09 Fishermen's livelihoods still drowning in Fukushima

2011/09/27

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Katsushi Abe looks at his fishing boat in Matsukawaura Port in Soma, Fukushima Prefecture, on Sept. 3. (Satoshi Otani)

FUKUSHIMA -- Fisherman Katsushi Abe is still drawn to the sea each day where he has fished for more than 45 years, although these same troubled waters are now filled with fish that scare many customers.

So, the 61-year-old man just watches his boat moored in Matsukawaura Port in Soma in northern Fukushima Prefecture, where fishing in coastal waters is prohibited due to concerns of radioactive contamination.

"I know that even if I come here, I cannot go fishing," Abe said. "But I come here because I have much free time."

During the peak commercial fishing seasons for Japanese sand lances, he enjoyed sales of more than 3 million yen (about $39,200) a month.

Currently, however, Abe is working in an effort by the government to remove rubble left from the March 11 Great East Japan Earthquake and tsunami, for which he is paid 12,000 yen a day.

When he goes to the offing to help researchers of radioactive materials at sea, the nets are often filled with fish.

"The fish are there," he said.

Fishing is gradually resuming at ports in Miyagi and Iwate prefectures that were hit hard in the disaster. In Fukushima Prefecture, however, coastal fishing is still suspended even more than six months later, as contamination of fish and other marine products by radioactive materials is continuing.

Though local fisheries cooperative associations are considering resumption of operations on an experimental basis, fishermen fear being hurt by rumors that Fukushima products are contaminated by radioactive materials from the crippled Fukushima No. 1 nuclear power plant.

Immediately after the accident at the plant, the Fukushima Prefectural Federation of Fisheries Cooperative Associations asked that coastal fishing throughout the prefecture be halted. Since then, fishing has been suspended along there.

A few months after the nuclear accident, some fishermen in the northern part of the prefecture campaigned strongly for the resumption of fishing. In the areas, damages to fishing boats were relatively minor. In addition, there were few cases in which radioactive materials that exceeded the government's permissible standards were detected in fish and other marine products that were caught in sampling.

In late July, the federation decided to allow fishing by the Soma-Futaba fisheries cooperative association in Soma to resume on an experimental basis. Around the same time, news of the radioactive contamination of beef from the prefecture spread.

In the federation's meeting held in late August, a participant said, "Seeing the beef situation, no one will buy fish (from Fukushima Prefecture) even if the contamination level is lower than the government's standards. In that case, who will assume responsibility?"

Similar opinions were repeatedly expressed. Eventually, the federation was forced to postpone the resumption of fishing by Soma-Futaba fisheries cooperative association members.

In a meeting held Sept. 22, the federation decided that each fisheries cooperative association should work out plans for resumption of fishing and resume operations on an experimental basis as early as November. However, whether they can actually resume fishing is not certain.

Radioactive contamination at sea is a reality that exists and is adding to the fishermen's anxieties.

Immediately after the accident at the Fukushima nuclear plant, radioactive materials that exceed the government's permissible standards were detected in fish, including the Japanese sand lances, which swim near the surface.

Since May, radioactive materials that exceed the government's standards have also been detected in fish and other marine products that swim or live on the sea floor. They include bastard halibuts, fat greenlings and shellfish.

On Aug. 29, 18 tons of bonito were unloaded at Onahama Port in Iwaki in southern Fukushima Prefecture, marking the first time since the March 11 disaster that fish were offloaded there. The fish were caught in the sea off the coast of Miyagi Prefecture, and no radioactive contamination was detected in the fish in checks conducted immediately after they were caught.

With the label that read, "No detection," the fish were shipped not only to areas in Iwaki but also in the Tokyo metropolitan area. In Iwaki, wholesalers paid between 340 yen and 350 yen per kilogram for the fish. In some supermarkets there, the bonitos were sold out within two hours after they were put on sale.

In Tsukiji market in Tokyo, however, they brought only 100 yen a kilogram.

"As I expected, the price was extremely low," said the 57-year-old owner of the fishing boat that caught the bonitos.

"I fully realized that fish won't sell in Tokyo (at appropriate prices) if they were landed (on ports) in Fukushima Prefecture. People's anxieties over products (from our prefecture) is strong," he added.

Before catching bonitos in the sea off Miyagi Prefecture, the fleet of bonito fishing boats based in Onahama had fished 11 times in waters around Hachijojima island, about 290 kilometers south of Tokyo, since June.

Told by brokers that they would not be able to find customers and retailers if the fish were unloaded at Onahama Port, the fishing boats had been forced to offload their fish in Choshi, Chiba Prefecture, and Shiogama, Miyagi Prefecture. Some middlemen there had bought the fish at a price of as high as 360 yen a kilogram.

This time, however, they persuaded the brokers to let them sell their catch at Onahama. However, sales in Tokyo were disappointing.

At Hisanohama Port in Iwaki, in a normal year, this would be the busiest time. On Sept. 1, the ban on trawl fishing of bastard halibuts and some other fish was lifted. Fishing of whitebaits would also be at its peak.

This year, however, fishermen there are only busy removing rubble from the quiet fish market.

Fifty-three-year old fisherman Masayuki Shirado is worried that members' fishing skills are becoming dulled.

"We look for fish by seeing the water colors and climate. Young fishermen cannot learn that sense unless they go fishing."

He fears that young fisherman will look for other jobs to stabilize their incomes.

"If such a situation takes place, the fishing in Fukushima (Prefecture) will end," he added.

(This article was written by Satoshi Otani and Takemichi Nishibori)

天声人語 2011年9月27日（火）付

　ごつい鉄扉の前で、石川知裕衆院議員は一つ深呼吸をしたそうだ。昨秋、逮捕から９カ月ぶりに小沢一郎氏と再会した時の様子が自著にある。小沢邸の茶の間、ちゃんちゃんこ姿の主は右手を上げて「おー」と言っただけだった▼鉄板を貼られたような「懐かしい緊張」の中、「無罪を勝ち取ります」と意気込んでも小沢氏は表情を崩さない。そして帰り際に、「お互い、裁判がんばるしかないな」と声をかけられたという。氏の関心はすでに、自身の強制起訴にあったらしい▼石川議員ら元秘書３人の裁判は、小沢氏にとって、オール検察との政治闘争の一部といえる。全員が有罪の東京地裁判決は、一審とはいえ眉間（みけん）への三太刀に値しよう。「おー」と突き放してはいられない▼大勢の秘書を雇い、周囲に高い石垣、深い堀を巡らす小沢氏である。億単位で動く政治資金は、石川議員が法廷で口ごもった通り、透明度を欠く。小沢事務所の「天の声」をおそれ、裏金を貢ぐ建設会社。判決は癒着ぶりを処断した▼来週には、城主自らの初公判が控える。どう「がんばる」にせよ、国会で説明を避けたあまたの疑問に答えてほしい。無口や無表情が政治家のすごみになる時代ではないし、国民も納得しまい▼その人は与党内で、時の首相とは別の権力を振るう。焦点が二つある「楕円（だえん）の政権」が、この難局にうまく転がるはずもない。小沢氏はひとまず一線を退くべきだ。氏を説き伏せ、「おー」と言わせる側近はいそうにないけれど。

27/09 ３秘書有罪―小沢氏の責任は明白だ

　「公共工事をめぐる企業との癒着を背景に、政治活動の批判と監視のよりどころである政治資金収支報告書にウソを書き、不信感を増大させた」

　小沢一郎氏の政治資金団体に関する裁判で、東京地裁はそう指摘し、元秘書３人に有罪を言い渡した。中堅ゼネコンから裏金が提供された事実も認定した。政界の実力者の金権体質を糾弾した判決といえる。

　秘書らは「有罪としても軽微な事案」と訴えていたが、これも退けられ、執行猶予つきながら公民権停止につながる禁錮刑が選択された。起訴後も衆院議員にとどまってきた石川知裕被告は、潔く辞職すべきだ。

　小沢氏の責任も極めて重い。刑事責任の有無は氏自身の公判の行方を見る必要があるが、政治的責任は免れない。疑惑発覚以来、その場その場で都合のいい理屈を持ち出し、国民に向き合ってこなかった。判決は、問題の土地取引の原資４億円について氏が明快に説明できていないことをわざわざ取り上げ、不信を投げかけている。

　私たちは社説で、こうした氏の姿勢を批判し、古い政治との決別を図るため、政界引退を迫ったこともある。判決を受け、その感はいよいよ深い。

　小沢氏は民主党の党員資格停止処分を受けた際、「秘書の不祥事の責任をとった政治家はいるが、それは秘書が容疑を認めた場合だ」と唱えていた。その秘書にそろって有罪が宣告されたいま、改めて身の処し方を考えるのが筋だろう。

　裁判での秘書らの言い分は、国民の常識や正義感からおよそかけ離れたものだった。

　例えば、小沢氏の政治団体間で資金のやり取りがあっても、ポケットの中身を移すようなものだ。報告書に記載することもあれば、しないこともある。カネの動きと記載時期がずれても問題はない――。判決がこれらを一蹴したのは当然である。

　他の政治家も政治資金規正法の目的を胸に刻み、自らに関連する資金の流れを緊張感をもって報告してもらいたい。

　描いた構図がほぼ全面的に認められたとはいえ、検察にも反省すべき点は多い。捜査段階の調書の多くは、威迫と利益誘導を織り交ぜながら作られたとして証拠採用されなかった。

　供述に頼らず、客観証拠を積み上げ、それによって物事を語らせる。取り調べでは相手の話をじっくり聞き、矛盾を法廷に示し判断を仰ぐ。そんな方向に捜査を見直すことが急がれる。丁寧に立証していけば主張が通ることを、判決は教えている。

27/09 EDITORIAL: Noda must win public support for his U.N. pledges

2011/09/27

Despite the unprecedented disaster caused by the March 11 earthquake and the accident at the Fukushima No. 1 nuclear power plant, Japan will never become "inward-looking."

To the contrary, it will continue to contribute to the solution of world problems.

No doubt that was the main intent of Prime Minister Yoshihiko Noda's address to the U.N. General Assembly.

At the outset, the prime minister presented three earthquake-related anecdotes:

(1) That an Indonesian nurse candidate and trainee in Miyagi Prefecture evacuated patients just before the massive tsunami hit;

(2) That Brazilian children living in poor conditions in their own country collected small change and sent the money to Japan; and

(3) That university students in Kenya held a memorial for Japanese victims, and sang "Sukiyaki," whose original Japanese title is, "I shall walk looking up."

And then the prime minister pledged, "These bonds between Japan and the international community will be forever remembered by the Japanese."

Postwar Japan, contrite from the country's experiences of World War II, sought to become a peaceful state and actively provided assistance to developing countries.

That so many countries offered to help Japan in its time of need is surely not unconnected with our half-century's worth of development assistance. Clearly, those countries appreciated our efforts.

That is why, despite our need for speedy recovery and reconstruction, as well as bringing the crisis at the nuclear power plant under control, we believe our country still needs to contribute as a major economic power to the solution of the many challenges facing the international community.

The prime minister made new international promises to:

(1) Contribute to the United Nations Mission in the Republic of South Sudan (UNMISS);

(2) Provide humanitarian assistance toward relief of the famine in Somalia; and

(3) Offer $1 billion worth of yen loans to assist the democratization process in the Middle East and North African region.

These efforts will no doubt help solidify Japan's international stature.

In contrast, the prime minister's statement at the U.N. High-Level Meeting on Nuclear Safety and Security was problematic.

He proclaimed, "Japan will send out to the whole world lessons learned through this accident."

We have no problem with that statement. But then Noda announced that Japan will continue to export nuclear power plant technology. He said nothing concrete about the nation's future energy policy.

Before leaving for the United States, Noda told an American newspaper that Japan will aim to re-start its nuclear plants "by next summer."

Clearly, Noda is trying to peel back the vision of his predecessor, Naoto Kan, of a country that is "free from its dependency" on nuclear power.

At an international conference in May, Kan presented an ambitious numerical target to expand the use of renewable energy. In comparison, Noda's speech was lackluster.

What does Noda plan to follow through on from the previous administration, and what is he going to change? The prime minister has a responsibility to spell this out to the public.

Domestically, debate continues over whether or not to raise taxes for reconstruction, or raising the consumption tax to fund social security.

For Noda to implement the overseas assistance he pledged at the United Nations, the administration must cultivate widespread understanding and support among the public. This is essential.

Noda's diplomatic schedule is over for now. Meantime, the budget committee in the Diet convened for business on Sept. 26. The debate there will be the prime minister's first touchstone.

--The Asahi Shimbun, Sept. 25

27/09 VOX POPULI: U.S. veto could spark a wave of violence

Vox Populi, Vox Dei is a daily column that runs on Page 1 of the vernacular Asahi Shimbun.

2011/09/27

Such things are not of any real significance, but Eisaku Sato (1901-1975) was the first Japanese prime minister born in the 20th century, while Shinzo Abe was the first prime minister born after World War II. Our new leader, Yoshihiko Noda, is the first prime minister born after Japan became a member of the United Nations in 1956.

Joining the United Nations was a cherished dream for postwar Japan, because it signaled the country's return to the international community. The dream took a while to be realized, because the Soviet Union used its veto power repeatedly to prevent Japan from becoming a U.N. member.

After Japan finally became a member, then-Foreign Minister Mamoru Shigemitsu (1887-1957) addressed the General Assembly. The thunderous applause with which he was welcomed is still talked about to this day.

I was reminded of this history by Palestine's bid for full U.N. membership. In his address before the General Assembly, President Mahmoud Abbas of the Palestinian Authority said it was time for a "Palestinian spring." The rapturous applause this drew was enough to eclipse Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's rebuttal speech.

The United States is in a bind. Every U.N. membership application is sent to the Security Council, and the pro-Israel United States has vowed to use its veto power to block the Palestinian bid. French President Nicolas Sarkozy warned that a U.S. veto would "spark a new wave of violence in the Middle East." I should imagine that many world leaders agree with Sarkozy.

The United States has a track record of repeatedly vetoing resolutions unfavorable to Israel. The power of veto is a prerogative of the five permanent members of the Security Council, of which the United States is one. But using it this time will cause all sorts of repercussions. Tense negotiations will continue in the Security Council.

Prime Minister Noda has returned from his U.N. visit. Was he able to assert himself on the international stage? The only impression I got was that he was pressured by an increasingly testy United States to produce results on the Futenma relocation issue.

Predictably, Japan seems to be paying dearly for its annual comings and goings of prime ministers.

--The Asahi Shimbun, Sept. 25

* * *

Vox Populi, Vox Dei is a popular daily column that takes up a wide range of topics, including culture, arts and social trends and developments. Written by veteran Asahi Shimbun writers, the column provides useful perspectives on and insights into contemporary Japan and its culture.

27/09 N-research funding set to be cut / Up to 80% reduction eyed for fast-breeder reactor development

The Yomiuri Shimbun

The science and technology ministry plans to cut spending on research into the development of high-efficiency fast-breeder nuclear reactors by 70 percent to 80 percent in the budget for the next fiscal year, according to sources.

The ministry reportedly intends to suspend research into practical applications of fast-breeder technology--which reincorporates spent nuclear fuel into the fuel cycle--while the national nuclear policy is reviewed in the wake of accidents at the Fukushima No. 1 nuclear power plant.

The Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology Ministry allocated 10 billion yen to such research and development this fiscal year. This figure may be cut by as much as 8 billion yen, the sources said.

Meanwhile, the sources said funding for the prototype Monju fast-breeder nuclear reactor in Tsuruga, Fukui Prefecture, to cover maintenance and other costs will be about 21 billion yen next fiscal year--about the same as this fiscal year.

The total budget allocation for fast-breeder technology in fiscal 2011 was 40 billion yen. Thus, an 8 billion yen cut in research and development would be about 20 percent of the total.

The planned budget cuts suggest the ministry has decided to suspend research and development for nuclear fuel cycle technology until the government compiles a review of the basic national energy strategy.

In July, the government's Energy and Environment Council decided to conduct a comprehensive review of the nation's nuclear policy, and is expected to complete the task next summer.

At a House of Representatives Budget Committee session in August, then Prime Minister Naoto Kan--who supported a move away from nuclear power--said he would consider reversing the national energy policy and shutting down the Monju reactor. However, Kan's successor, Yoshihiko Noda, has said the nation should continue to use nuclear power but try to reduce reliance on it as much as possible.

The ministry's decision to suspend research and development spending but keep the Monju reactor running appears to be in line with Noda's stance.

(Sep. 27, 2011)