#nuclearwastebribes — Public Fediverse posts

November 18, 2020

.> NUMO in 2002 began asking municipalities around Japan to apply for consideration as final nuclear waste storage sites. The town of Toyo in Kochi Prefecture in 2007 became the first local government to apply. However, the town mayor made the decision without first consulting the Toyo assembly.

.> Local opposition in the town on the island of Shikoku was so fierce that a candidate opposed to the idea defeated the incumbent in the next election, and the application was withdrawn.

.> No other municipality expressed interest in NUMO’s proposal. So in 2017, the central government released a map of areas that were considered scientifically and geologically appropriate as sites for the final storage of nuclear waste.

.> As an enticement, the central government offered up to 2 billion yen ($19 million) in grants to applicant municipalities in the first stage.