Rokkasho
Rokkasho
Lục ヶ sở thôn | |
|---|---|
 Rokkasho Nuclear Reprocessing Plant | |
 Flag  Seal | |
 Location of Rokkasho in Aomori Prefecture | |
 | |
  Rokkasho | |
| Coordinates:40°58′02″N141°22′28″E/ 40.96722°N 141.37444°E | |
| Country | Japan |
| Region | Tōhoku |
| Prefecture | Aomori |
| District | Kamikita |
| Area | |
• Total | 252.68 km2(97.56 sq mi) |
| Population (March 1, 2023) | |
• Total | 9,845 |
| • Density | 39/km2(100/sq mi) |
| Time zone | UTC+9(Japan Standard Time) |
| Phone number | 0175-72-2111 |
| Address | 475 Noduki Obuchi, Rokkasho-mura, Kamikita-gun, Aomori 039-3212 |
| Climate | Cfb/Dfb |
| Website | Official website |
| Symbols | |
| Bird | White-tailed eagle |
| Flower | Daylily |
| Tree | Japanese black pine |
Rokkasho(Lục ヶ sở thôn,Rokkasho-mura)is avillageinAomori Prefecture,Japan.As of 1 March 2023[update],the village had an estimatedpopulationof 9,845 in 4988 households, and apopulation densityof 40 persons per km².[1]The total area of the village is 252.68 square kilometres (97.56 sq mi).
Geography
[edit]Rokkasho occupies the eastern coastline of the base ofShimokita Peninsula,facing thePacific Oceanto the east. The village forms the northern shoreline ofLake Ogawara.
Neighbouring municipalities
[edit]Aomori Prefecture
Climate
[edit]The village has a warm summerHumid Continental Climatecharacterized by cool short summers and long cold winters with heavy snowfall (Köppen climate classificationDfb) bordering on the rare Oceanic Climate (Cfb). The average annual temperature in Rokkasho is 9.4 °C. The average annual rainfall is 1410 mm with August as the wettest month. The temperatures are highest on average in August, at around 21.3 °C, and lowest in January, at around -1.5 °C as per the Japan Meteorological Agency.[2]
| Climate data for Rokkasho (1991−2020 normals, extremes 1982−present) | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
| Record high °C (°F) | 10.9 (51.6) |
16.6 (61.9) |
20.6 (69.1) |
29.1 (84.4) |
30.3 (86.5) |
34.1 (93.4) |
34.2 (93.6) |
34.4 (93.9) |
33.7 (92.7) |
28.6 (83.5) |
23.7 (74.7) |
18.2 (64.8) |
34.4 (93.9) |
| Mean daily maximum °C (°F) | 1.2 (34.2) |
1.9 (35.4) |
5.7 (42.3) |
12.3 (54.1) |
17.2 (63.0) |
19.9 (67.8) |
23.4 (74.1) |
25.3 (77.5) |
22.7 (72.9) |
17.2 (63.0) |
10.5 (50.9) |
3.8 (38.8) |
13.4 (56.2) |
| Daily mean °C (°F) | −1.5 (29.3) |
−1.2 (29.8) |
1.9 (35.4) |
7.3 (45.1) |
12.1 (53.8) |
15.4 (59.7) |
19.4 (66.9) |
21.3 (70.3) |
18.4 (65.1) |
12.6 (54.7) |
6.5 (43.7) |
0.8 (33.4) |
9.4 (48.9) |
| Mean daily minimum °C (°F) | −4.4 (24.1) |
−4.4 (24.1) |
−1.9 (28.6) |
2.8 (37.0) |
7.9 (46.2) |
12.0 (53.6) |
16.5 (61.7) |
18.3 (64.9) |
14.8 (58.6) |
8.2 (46.8) |
2.6 (36.7) |
−2.2 (28.0) |
5.8 (42.5) |
| Record low °C (°F) | −12.1 (10.2) |
−12.6 (9.3) |
−10.9 (12.4) |
−5.3 (22.5) |
0.5 (32.9) |
3.7 (38.7) |
8.9 (48.0) |
9.8 (49.6) |
4.8 (40.6) |
−0.8 (30.6) |
−7.8 (18.0) |
−11.8 (10.8) |
−12.6 (9.3) |
| Averageprecipitationmm (inches) | 106.4 (4.19) |
81.0 (3.19) |
74.2 (2.92) |
68.4 (2.69) |
93.8 (3.69) |
108.4 (4.27) |
151.4 (5.96) |
176.8 (6.96) |
169.8 (6.69) |
130.6 (5.14) |
105.0 (4.13) |
125.4 (4.94) |
1,410.6 (55.54) |
| Average precipitation days(≥ 1.0 mm) | 19.6 | 15.9 | 13.5 | 10.6 | 10.8 | 10.1 | 12.2 | 12.4 | 11.7 | 12.4 | 15.2 | 19.3 | 163.7 |
| Mean monthlysunshine hours | 70.7 | 90.8 | 159.4 | 194.6 | 201.4 | 161.3 | 131.9 | 149.7 | 158.1 | 158.6 | 106.3 | 70.2 | 1,645.6 |
| Source:Japan Meteorological Agency[3][4] | |||||||||||||
Demographics
[edit]Per Japanese census data,[5]the population of Rokkasho has remained relatively stable over the past 70 years.
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History
[edit]The area around Rokkasho was known for raising horses during theKamakura period.During theEdo period,it was controlled by theNanbu clanofMorioka Domain,becoming part of the territories ofShichinohe Domainin the latter half of the Edo period. With the establishment of the modern municipalities system after the start of theMeiji period,on April 1, 1889, the village of Rokkasho was created following the merger of six small hamlets.
Government
[edit]Rokkasho has amayor-councilform of government with a directly elected mayor and aunicameralvillage council of 18 members. Rokkasho is part ofKamikita Districtwhich contributes four members to the Aomori Prefectural Assembly. In terms of national politics, the town is part ofAomori 2nd districtof thelower houseof theDiet of Japan.
Education
[edit]Rokkasho has four public elementary schools and three public middle schools operated by the village government and one public high school operated by the Aomori Prefectural Board of Education.
Economy
[edit]The economy of Rokkasho has traditionally been dependent on agriculture andcommercial fishing.From the 1980s onwards, the village has become a center for various energy developments, which now dominate the local economy.[6]Rokkasho's per capita income was $129,676 (1557,8000 Yen $1= 120.13 Yen )[7]
Nuclear industry and research
[edit]Nuclear fuel cycle related facilities:
- Japan Nuclear Fuel Limitedheadquarters
- TheRokkasho Reprocessing Plant(currently under test operation)
- Auranium enrichmentplant andplutoniumreprocessing plant.
- AMOX fuelfabrication facility with an 800-ton per year capacity when completed
- A low levelnuclear waste storagefacility
- A high level nuclear waste temporary storage and monitoring facility
TheJapan Atomic Energy Agencyalso has multiple facilities at the site like the Linear IFMIF Prototype Accelerator (LIPAc) devoted to the Fusion Energy Development Programme under the European Union-Japan Broader Approach agreement.
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 ofradioactivity.During the 1990santi-nuclear groupsin 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.[8][9][10][11][12][13][14][15]
In May, 2006, an international awareness campaign about the dangers of the Rokkasho reprocessing plant,Stop Rokkasho,[16]was launched by musicianRyuichi Sakamoto.Greenpeacehas opposed operation of the Rokkasho Reprocessing Plant under a campaign called "Wings of Peace: No more Hiroshima, Nagasaki. Stop Rokkasho",[17]since 2002 and has launched acyberaction[18]to stop the project.
Rokkasho was a candidate to host the plasmafusion reactorITER,but lost out toCadarache,France.Rokkasho has been hosting the Helios high-performance supercomputer[19]centre capable of performing complex plasma physics calculations for fusion research, since January 2012.[20]
Gas and wind power
[edit]- Mutsu-Ogawara Oil Storage Facility[21]
- Completed: September 1985
- Max capacity: around 5,700 megaliters in 51 tanks
- Current usage: 4,920 megaliters at end of March 2003
- Managing company: Mutsu-Ogawara Oil Storage Co Ltd
- Mutsu-Ogawara Wind Farm[22]
- Established: January 2003
- Power: 31,500 kW (1,500 kW × 21 units)
- Managing company: Eco power
- Rokkashomura Futamata Wind Power Plant[23]
- Established: December 2003
- Power: 31,850 kW (1,500 kW × 20 units; 1,425 KW x 2 units)
- Managing company: Japan Wind Development Company Ltd
- Rokkashomura Wind Power Plant[23]
- Established: May 2007
- Power: 51,000 kW (1,500 kW × 34 units)
- Managing company: Japan Wind Development Company Ltd
- Battery energy storage facility
- 34 MW (204 MWh)grid energy storagefacility usingsodium–sulfur batteries,manufactured byNGK,installed since 2008[24]
Agriculture
[edit]Stock raising is prevalent.
Fishing
[edit]Three small fishing ports.
Transportation
[edit]Railway
[edit]- Rokkasho is not served by any passenger train service. The closest train station is eitherNoheji StationorOtomo Stationon theAomori RailwayorFukikoshi Stationon theOminato Line
Highway
[edit]
International relations
[edit]
Waren,Mecklenburg-Vorpommern,Germany,sister city since 1994.[25]
Local attractions
[edit]- Rokkasho Prefectural History Museum
In popular media
[edit]A documentary,Rokkasho Rhapsody,came out in 2006, which portrays the Rokkasho community's views on the nuclear reprocessing plant.[26]
References
[edit]- ^"Rokkasho village official statistics"(in Japanese). Japan.
- ^Rokkasho climate data
- ^Quan trắc sử thượng 1～10 vị の trị ( niên gian を thông じての trị ).JMA.RetrievedMarch 5,2022.
- ^Khí tượng sảnh / bình niên trị ( niên ・ nguyệt ごとの trị ).JMA.RetrievedMarch 5,2022.
- ^Rokkasho population statistics
- ^"Rokkasho and a hard place".The Economist.10 November 2012.Retrieved4 May2015.
- ^"Huyện dân bình quân sở đắc, lục ケ sở thôn ９ niên liên 続トップ toàn thể, tiền niên độ bỉ ０．１％ tăng １４ niên độ ／ thanh sâm".Mỗi nhật tân văn.31 March 2017.Retrieved22 August2018.
- ^"What is Reprocessing?".Green Action.Archived fromthe originalon 24 July 2011.Retrieved23 March2011.
- ^"ROKKASHO-MURA TO BE WORLD'S LARGEST SOURCE OF RADIOACTIVE KRYPTON GREENPEACE CALLS FOR FULL DISCLOSURE"(Press release).Greenpeace Japan.22 November 2002. Archived fromthe originalon 20 July 2011.Retrieved23 March2011.
- ^Barnaby, Frank; Burnie, Shaun (12 November 2002)."Planning for failure: International nuclear safeguards and the Rokkasho-mura reprocessing plant"(PDF).Greenpeace.Retrieved23 March2011.
- ^"Rokkasho and Japan's Nuclear Fuel Cycle Policy".Citizens' Nuclear Information Center.Retrieved23 March2011.
- ^Barnabie, Frank; Burnie, Shaun (8 September 2005)."Thinking the Unthinkable: Japanese nuclear power and proliferation in East Asia".The Asia-Pacific Journal: Japan Focus.Retrieved23 March2011.
- ^"Japanese, South Korean Plutonium Plants Raise Security Concerns in Region".WMD Insights.February 2006. Archived fromthe originalon 28 September 2007.Retrieved23 March2011.
- ^Salzberg, Chris (21 March 2008)."Japan: Rokkasho nuclear reprocessing plant fuels debate".Global Voices Online.Retrieved23 March2011.
- ^Norrie, Justin (26 April 2008)."Japan's nuclear waste will spill from new plant's chimney".The Sydney Morning Herald.Retrieved23 March2011.
- ^"stop-rokkasho.org".Stop Rokkasho.Retrieved23 March2011.
- ^"Wings of Peace: No more Hiroshima, Nagasaki. Stop Rokkasho".Greenpeace Japan.Archived fromthe originalon 22 July 2011.Retrieved23 March2011.
- ^"No more Hiroshima Nagasaki Stop the plutonium production plant at Rokkasho!".Greenpeace Japan.Archived fromthe originalon 30 October 2012.Retrieved23 March2011.
- ^"Helios".TOP500.Retrieved20 November2012.
- ^"Rokkasho to host supercomputer for fusion research".ITER.Retrieved21 April2011.
- ^Mutsu-Ogawara Oil Storage Co home page
- ^Eco Power home page
- ^abJapan Wind Development Company Ltd home page
- ^"NAS Battery energy storage system"(PDF).NGKInsulators. 2013.Retrieved2015-01-24.
- ^"International Exchange".List of Affiliation Partners within Prefectures.Council of Local Authorities for International Relations (CLAIR). Archived fromthe originalon 22 November 2015.Retrieved21 November2015.
- ^Rokkashomura RhapsodyatIMDb
External links
[edit]
- Official Website(in Japanese)
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