About this website...
This website is the official site of the Washington Office of The Federation of Electric Power Companies of Japan (FEPC). FEPC has been entrusted to promote the aims of Japan's ten electric power utilities, and our Washington Office works closely with opinion leaders and other experts in the United States and other foreign countries by exchanging information and views on a variety of energy related topics, especially nuclear power.
As should be evident from the name, the purpose of this site is to provide information mainly on Japan's crucial nuclear power program. This website is therefore dedicated to educating our visitors about the reasons why our industry is pursuing a nuclear power program as well as a "closed" nuclear fuel cycle.
About nuclear power in Japan...
Energy is the "life blood" of any economy, but for Japan, this truism takes on added importance. Just a few simple facts should help to make it clear that Japan is poor in natural resources, specifically sources of energy, which are so vital to a healthy, modern economy:
- Japan must import over 80% of all primary energy needs
- Japan obtains only 0.3% of its crude oil supply from domestic sources
- Japan has very few domestic sources of coal, natural gas, or uranium
Despite these obstacles, Japan has built its economy into the second largest in the world, with a Gross Domestic Product (GDP) in 2007 of over $4.3 trillion. Particularly since the two oil crises of the 1970s, the way that Japan has reduced its reliance on crude oil and overcome its lack of energy security is by turning to a diverse mixture of energy, of which nuclear power plays a central role.
With 55 currently operating commercial nuclear power plants that supply about a third of Japan's electricity needs, Japan's nuclear industry is helping to ensure the long-term strength and viability of the country's economy. Furthermore, the electric utilities are striving to implement ambitious plans to increase the total share of nuclear power generation to over 40% by the year 2010.
Nuclear power's inherent strengths are manifold, including providing for Japan's energy security while helping to control global warming problems by not emitting gases, such as carbon dioxide, that contribute to climate change.
About Japan's nuclear fuel cycle...
The benefits of nuclear power generation can be further expanded upon through effective nuclear fuel policies. This is why Japan's electric utilities are actively pursuing a "closed" nuclear fuel cycle, of which one key feature is the utilization of mixed oxide (MOX) fuel in commercial nuclear reactors.
Spent nuclear fuel is what you get after irradiating uranium in a nuclear reactor. In Japan, this spent fuel is considered a valuable asset, because it contains both plutonium and unused uranium. A "closed" nuclear fuel cycle means that spent fuel is reprocessed. Reprocessing is a chemical process that recovers plutonium and re-usable uranium from spent fuel and separates radioactive wastes into more manageable forms. Once recovered, the plutonium is ready to be re-introduced into the nuclear fuel cycle in the form known MOX fuel.
Thus, a "closed" nuclear fuel cycle offers even more advantages to resource-poor Japan, including the conservation of valuable plutonium and uranium, the reduction of high-level radioactive wastes, and the establishment of nuclear power as a "semi-domestic energy source," which again helps to increase long-term energy security.
To learn much more about Japan's nuclear power program and Japan's electric utility industry, please feel free to browse through our many informative pages.
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