Mutsu Ogawara, 18 March 1997

A controversial nuclear waste transport from France arrived in Japan today amidst growing demands for an end to Japan's failing plutonium program. Hundreds of protesters from around Japan held signs saying: "STOP spent nuclear fuel", "We do no want nuclear waste!". Greenpeace protested by approaching the ship using 2 inflatable rafts. A total of 6 protesters on board raised banners emblazoned with "NO Nuclear waste"(in Japanese). Meanwhile on the quay of the port, Greenpeace used a crane to hoist a 5 meter high banner declaring "Stop Nuclear Power". The protesters were faced by hundreds of police who were on land, in boats and in helicopters circling over head.

Route Map:   World map showing likely and possible sea routes for the radioactive shipment

Press Release - 18 March 1997: CONTROVERSIAL NUCLEAR WASTE SHIPMENT ARRIVES IN JAPAN; PROTESTORS CALL FOR AN END TO JAPAN'S PLUTONIUM PROGRAM

More Press Releases

February 18th, 1997

Greenpeace today released a confidential document which reveals that British, French and Japanese authorities will not salvage a controversial nuclear waste shipment on its way past Australia should it sink. The document was leaked to Greenpeace as the British- flagged "Pacific Teal" steams towards Australia and the Tasman Sea carrying highly radioactive nuclear waste from France to Japan via South Africa and the Southwest Pacific.

Press Release

AUSTRALIAN SENATE TWISTS GOVERNMENT'S ARM ON NUCLEAR WASTE SHIP

February 13th 1997

The Australian Senate has passed a Greens motion requesting the minister for foreign affairs to make public the route of the Pacific Teal, en-route to Japan with a cargo of highly radioactive nuclear waste. The Senate vote is a rebuke to the nonchalance of Senator Hill who, in answer to a question from Senator Brown on Monday dismissed the concern of other countries saying ' we do not feel, as a nation, threatened by the potential of any accident '

Media release from Senator Brown's office

Notice of Motion 442 ( Senator Brown )

JAPANESE NUCLEAR WASTE SHIPMENT ENTERS SOUTH AFRICAN WATERS DESPITE BAN.

PLUTONIUM STATEMENT
Deputy Minister PR Mokaba

January 31st 1997

In the face of the imminent arrival of a Japanese nuclear waste shipment, the South African government has issued a statement condemning the dangerous transport and demanding that it remain outside of that nation's 200 mile Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) waters.

The Statement.

January 13th, 1997

At around 7.00 am today, the controversial high level nuclear waste shipment departed the port of Cherbourg, France, bound for Japan.

The nuclear waste shipment prepared at the La Hague plutonium "reprocessing" factory involves two casks holding 40 glass blocks of extremely radioactive nuclear waste containing some 20,500,000 curies of radioactivity.

This glassified nuclear waste is so deadly that a person within one metre of a single unshielded glass block would receive a fatal dose of radiation in less than one minute.

Press Release

Greenpeace obtained a confidential document in December, which stated the second controversial plutonium waste shipment from Europe to Japan would leave France for Japan on 16th January 1997, on board the UK registered ship Pacific Teal.

The route for the ship is given as South Africa - east of Australia -south Pacific and finally Japan.

The document, which authenticity has not been confirmed yet, also states that en-route governments are to be informed on 23rd December of the intended route of the waste.