Economic Observation Network According to the CCTV News client, on the 15th, Japanese authorities launched a preliminary investigation into the establishment of a nuclear waste landfill site in Changlu Omiya City, Ibaraki Prefecture, near the capital Tokyo.

Kyodo News quoted the Japan Atomic Energy Environmental Remediation Agency, which is responsible for nuclear waste disposal, as reporting that the investigation includes checking the local land erosion and other conditions based on published geological data such as maps and academic papers to determine whether the area is suitable as a nuclear waste landfill.

The preliminary investigation is the first phase of the site selection work for the nuclear waste landfill, expected to last for two years. There may be two more stages of investigation in the future, and the overall investigation work is expected to take 20 years.

This is the first time Japan has conducted such a survey in a city located on Honshu Island. Changlu Omiya City has a population of approximately 35000 and is located in the northwest of Ibaraki Prefecture, about 110 kilometers from the center of Tokyo. The Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry believes that there is a large amount of unused land in Changlu Dagong City, which is likely suitable as a landfill for high-level radioactive nuclear waste.

Previously, the Japanese government had launched investigations in Shoudu Town and Shenhuinai Village in northern Hokkaido, Genkai Town in Saga Prefecture on southwestern Kyushu Island, and Nantori Island in the easternmost Ogasawara Islands of Japan. The above-mentioned locations have not yet entered the second stage of investigation.

This type of investigation has been resisted in some places. In 2007, Toyo cho, Kochi County, intended to apply for investigation, but withdrew due to the opposition of local residents. Nagasaki Prefecture's petition to initiate an investigation was approved by the Matsu City Council in 2023, but it was not considered a candidate due to the mayor's refusal.