Greenpeace's campaign to Stop Plutonium Terror

Japan and Korean Peninsula.

Japanese Plutonium shipment scheduled for next week – South Korean Government needs to act now to prevent threat to Korean Peninsula

28 June, 2002

Seoul - A unique shipment of weapon-usable plutonium contained in a cargo of reject nuclear fuel, could leave Japan for the UK only hours after the soccer World Cup final. This would create a massive threat to the environment along its 30,000km route, including the East Sea and Korean Peninsula, Korean Federation of Environmental Movements (KFEM) and Greenpeace International warned today.

The warning comes as Greenpeace released new figures on the massive increase in Japan's stocks of nuclear weapons-usable plutonium if its program continues. On June 25th the Greenpeace ship Arctic Sunrise arrived in the Japanese port of Tsuruga to join protests against the proposed shipment and its implications for the expansion of Japan's plutonium program.

Two lightly armed transport ships, the Pacific Pintail and Pacific Teal are planning to transport the 225kg plutonium contained in pellets of faulty mixed oxide (MOX) fuel, from the nuclear reactor site at Takahama, in Fukui Prefecture, Japan. One of the nuclear freighters will carry the cask, while the other vessel is charged with being an armed escort. The cargo was only shipped to Japan in 1999. However, it was later revealed that the company, which produced the faulty MOX, British Nuclear Fuels (BNFL), had deliberately falsified vital safety quality control data for the MOX pellets. The Japanese owner of the MOX, and the Japanese Government rejected it and demanded that it be returned to Britain. In 1999, KFEM and Greenpeace International protested the arrival of the MOX ship in the East Sea, as well as calling on the South Korean Government to object to the shipment using the straits between Korea and Japan. As a result of this, the Pacific Pintail used the northern route around the coast of Japan.

Currently the Pacific Pintail and Pacific Teal are in the port of Kobe on the Inland Plutonium transport ships in Kobe. Sea coast of Japan. The ships would have to sail through the East China Sea to reach Takahama to load the rejected MOX. The most likely route for the shipment from Takahama is south and west of the Japanese island of Kyushu through the narrow straits between Japan and the south coast of the Republic of Korea into the East China Sea (1).

“This proposed shipment is potentially only the beginning of a deadly new phase in Japan’s plutonium program, and this time the Korean environment is more threatened than ever before,” said Won Young nuclear campaigner of KFEM. “The most immediate threat is from the route chosen by Japan. The most direct route from Takahama could take the shipment less than 50km from the city of Pusan on the Korean mainland. The seas and our coastline are of major importance for fishing communities and tourism in Korea. Any major accident involving this “Floating Chernobyl” would have disastrous consequences. Japan’s unjustified sea shipments of plutonium have been opposed by tens of countries along the transport routes from Japan to Europe already. Now Korea is about to become an en-route state and needs to take decisive action to stop it”.

Japanese electrical utilities have signed contracts for reprocessing their spent reactor fuel in Europe, which is creating an enormous plutonium stockpile. Greenpeace released new figures Tuesday June 25th that projected total stocks of plutonium amounting to over 145,000 kilograms by 2020 if the program proceeds as planned. Since the 1999 MOX scandal Japan's program has lurched from one crisis to another. In 1999 the day the original MOX shipment arrived in Takahama, Japan's worst nuclear accident at Tokai-mura was just ending. So far any loading of MOX anywhere in Japan has been prevented due to opposition by Japanese citizens and politicians.

As little as 5kg of the plutonium contained in the rejected Takahama MOX is sufficient to make one nuclear weapon. As the peaceful use for Japan's plutonium program has become more and more unrealistic, concerns are growing in Japan and beyond, that in fact Japan's motiviation for maintaining the program is to give it a nuclear weapons option. Senior politicians have recently claimed that plutonium from Japan's 'peaceful' program could be used to make thousands of nuclear weapons.

“If industry and government plans proceed, the narrow straits between Korea and Japan are about to become a plutonium freeway. Over five tons of plutonium are already stockpiled in Japan and yet there is no commercial justification for this program. If the shipment goes ahead it will increase the risks of nuclear weapons proliferation to this region, and increase the risk of accidental nuclear contamination for the millions of people living and dependent upon the seas around Korea. Japan should suspend its plans for this transport and reconsider its commitment to the plutonium economy,” stated Tom Clements of Greenpeace International, on board the Arctic Sunrise.

Greenpeace believes that the proposed plutonium shipment could leave as early as July, with passage through the straits between Korea and Japan as early as mid-September.

For more information:

Won Young - Nuclear Campaigner KFEM: +822 735 7000 or +82 18 288 8402 - mobile
Tom Clements - Greenpeace International: +81 90 9329 6865 - Arctic Sunrise - mobile
Shaun Burnie: Greenpeace International Nuclear Campaigner Tokyo:- +81 90 2253 7306;
Mhairi Dunlop: Greenpeace International Nuclear Press Co-ordinator Tokyo +81 90 2253 0327

KFEM: + 8218 288 8402; website (in English) http://english.kfem.or.kr/

Documentation:
Table 1: Japan's plutonium stocks, past, present and future (pdf)
Table 2: Estimates of annual plutonium loading in MOX fuel 2002-1010 (pdf)

Japan and Nuclear Weapons: threat or intent ?
A selection of statements by past and present Japanese
Politician's, Military leaders and Agencies (pdf)

The interpretation of Article 9 of the constitution regarding the retention of nuclear arms.
The House of Councilors Budget Committee, 11 March 1978, answer by the Director General Sanada, Cabinet Legislation Bureau. (pdf)

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Press Releases Archive Links	Japan and Korean Peninsula. Japanese Plutonium shipment scheduled for next week – South Korean Government needs to act now to prevent threat to Korean Peninsula 28 June, 2002 Seoul - A unique shipment of weapon-usable plutonium contained in a cargo of reject nuclear fuel, could leave Japan for the UK only hours after the soccer World Cup final. This would create a massive threat to the environment along its 30,000km route, including the East Sea and Korean Peninsula, Korean Federation of Environmental Movements (KFEM) and Greenpeace International warned today. The warning comes as Greenpeace released new figures on the massive increase in Japan's stocks of nuclear weapons-usable plutonium if its program continues. On June 25th the Greenpeace ship Arctic Sunrise arrived in the Japanese port of Tsuruga to join protests against the proposed shipment and its implications for the expansion of Japan's plutonium program. Two lightly armed transport ships, the Pacific Pintail and Pacific Teal are planning to transport the 225kg plutonium contained in pellets of faulty mixed oxide (MOX) fuel, from the nuclear reactor site at Takahama, in Fukui Prefecture, Japan. One of the nuclear freighters will carry the cask, while the other vessel is charged with being an armed escort. The cargo was only shipped to Japan in 1999. However, it was later revealed that the company, which produced the faulty MOX, British Nuclear Fuels (BNFL), had deliberately falsified vital safety quality control data for the MOX pellets. The Japanese owner of the MOX, and the Japanese Government rejected it and demanded that it be returned to Britain. In 1999, KFEM and Greenpeace International protested the arrival of the MOX ship in the East Sea, as well as calling on the South Korean Government to object to the shipment using the straits between Korea and Japan. As a result of this, the Pacific Pintail used the northern route around the coast of Japan. Currently the Pacific Pintail and Pacific Teal are in the port of Kobe on the Inland Sea coast of Japan. The ships would have to sail through the East China Sea to reach Takahama to load the rejected MOX. The most likely route for the shipment from Takahama is south and west of the Japanese island of Kyushu through the narrow straits between Japan and the south coast of the Republic of Korea into the East China Sea (1). “This proposed shipment is potentially only the beginning of a deadly new phase in Japan’s plutonium program, and this time the Korean environment is more threatened than ever before,” said Won Young nuclear campaigner of KFEM. “The most immediate threat is from the route chosen by Japan. The most direct route from Takahama could take the shipment less than 50km from the city of Pusan on the Korean mainland. The seas and our coastline are of major importance for fishing communities and tourism in Korea. Any major accident involving this “Floating Chernobyl” would have disastrous consequences. Japan’s unjustified sea shipments of plutonium have been opposed by tens of countries along the transport routes from Japan to Europe already. Now Korea is about to become an en-route state and needs to take decisive action to stop it”. Japanese electrical utilities have signed contracts for reprocessing their spent reactor fuel in Europe, which is creating an enormous plutonium stockpile. Greenpeace released new figures Tuesday June 25th that projected total stocks of plutonium amounting to over 145,000 kilograms by 2020 if the program proceeds as planned. Since the 1999 MOX scandal Japan's program has lurched from one crisis to another. In 1999 the day the original MOX shipment arrived in Takahama, Japan's worst nuclear accident at Tokai-mura was just ending. So far any loading of MOX anywhere in Japan has been prevented due to opposition by Japanese citizens and politicians. As little as 5kg of the plutonium contained in the rejected Takahama MOX is sufficient to make one nuclear weapon. As the peaceful use for Japan's plutonium program has become more and more unrealistic, concerns are growing in Japan and beyond, that in fact Japan's motiviation for maintaining the program is to give it a nuclear weapons option. Senior politicians have recently claimed that plutonium from Japan's 'peaceful' program could be used to make thousands of nuclear weapons. “If industry and government plans proceed, the narrow straits between Korea and Japan are about to become a plutonium freeway. Over five tons of plutonium are already stockpiled in Japan and yet there is no commercial justification for this program. If the shipment goes ahead it will increase the risks of nuclear weapons proliferation to this region, and increase the risk of accidental nuclear contamination for the millions of people living and dependent upon the seas around Korea. Japan should suspend its plans for this transport and reconsider its commitment to the plutonium economy,” stated Tom Clements of Greenpeace International, on board the Arctic Sunrise. Greenpeace believes that the proposed plutonium shipment could leave as early as July, with passage through the straits between Korea and Japan as early as mid-September. For more information: Won Young - Nuclear Campaigner KFEM: +822 735 7000 or +82 18 288 8402 - mobile Tom Clements - Greenpeace International: +81 90 9329 6865 - Arctic Sunrise - mobile Shaun Burnie: Greenpeace International Nuclear Campaigner Tokyo:- +81 90 2253 7306; Mhairi Dunlop: Greenpeace International Nuclear Press Co-ordinator Tokyo +81 90 2253 0327 KFEM: + 8218 288 8402; website (in English) http://english.kfem.or.kr/ Documentation: Table 1: Japan's plutonium stocks, past, present and future (pdf) Table 2: Estimates of annual plutonium loading in MOX fuel 2002-1010 (pdf) Japan and Nuclear Weapons: threat or intent ? A selection of statements by past and present Japanese Politician's, Military leaders and Agencies (pdf) The interpretation of Article 9 of the constitution regarding the retention of nuclear arms. The House of Councilors Budget Committee, 11 March 1978, answer by the Director General Sanada, Cabinet Legislation Bureau. (pdf) Back