Rokkasho Explained

Rokkasho
Native Name Lang:ja
Settlement Type:Village
Image Map1:Rokkasho in Aomori Prefecture Ja.svg
Pushpin Map:Japan
Pushpin Map Caption: 
Coordinates:40.9672°N 141.3744°W
Subdivision Type:Country
Subdivision Name:Japan
Subdivision Type1:Region
Subdivision Name1:Tōhoku
Subdivision Type2:Prefecture
Subdivision Name2:Aomori
Subdivision Type3:District
Subdivision Name3:Kamikita
Area Total Km2:252.68
Population Total:9845
Population As Of:March 1, 2023
Population Density Km2:auto
Timezone1:Japan Standard Time
Utc Offset1:+9
Blank Name Sec1:Phone number
Blank Info Sec1:0175-72-2111
Blank1 Name Sec1:Address
Blank1 Info Sec1:475 Noduki Obuchi, Rokkasho-mura, Kamikita-gun, Aomori 039-3212
Blank Name Sec2:Climate
Blank Info Sec2:Cfb/Dfb
Module:
Embedded:yes

is a village in Aomori Prefecture, Japan., the village had an estimated population of 9,845 in 4988 households, and a population density of 40 persons per km².[1] The total area of the village is 252.68km².

Geography

Rokkasho occupies the eastern coastline of the base of Shimokita Peninsula, facing the Pacific Ocean to the east. The village forms the northern shoreline of Lake Ogawara.

Neighbouring municipalities

Aomori Prefecture

Climate

The village has a warm summer Humid Continental Climate characterized by cool short summers and long cold winters with heavy snowfall (Köppen climate classification Dfb) 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]

Demographics

Per Japanese census data,[3] the population of Rokkasho has remained relatively stable over the past 70 years.

History

The area around Rokkasho was known for raising horses during the Kamakura period. During the Edo period, it was controlled by the Nanbu clan of Morioka Domain, becoming part of the territories of Shichinohe Domain in the latter half of the Edo period. With the establishment of the modern municipalities system after the start of the Meiji period, on April 1, 1889, the village of Rokkasho was created following the merger of six small hamlets.

Government

Rokkasho has a mayor-council form of government with a directly elected mayor and a unicameral village council of 18 members. Rokkasho is part of Kamikita District which contributes four members to the Aomori Prefectural Assembly. In terms of national politics, the town is part of Aomori 2nd district of the lower house of the Diet of Japan.

Education

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

The economy of Rokkasho has traditionally been dependent on agriculture and commercial fishing. From the 1980s onwards, the village has become a center for various energy developments, which now dominate the local economy.[4] Rokkasho's per capita income was $129,676 (1557,8000 Yen $1= 120.13 Yen)[5]

Nuclear industry & Research

Nuclear fuel cycle related facilities:

The Japan Atomic Energy Agency also 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 of radioactivity. During the 1990s anti-nuclear groups in 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.[6] [7] [8] [9] [10] [11] [12] [13]

In May, 2006, an international awareness campaign about the dangers of the Rokkasho reprocessing plant, Stop Rokkasho,[14] was launched by musician Ryuichi Sakamoto. Greenpeace has opposed operation of the Rokkasho Reprocessing Plant under a campaign called "Wings of Peace: No more Hiroshima, Nagasaki. Stop Rokkasho",[15] since 2002 and has launched a cyberaction[16] to stop the project.

Rokkasho was a candidate to host the plasma fusion reactor ITER, but lost out to Cadarache, France. Rokkasho has been hosting the Helios high-performance supercomputer[17] centre capable of performing complex plasma physics calculations for fusion research, since January 2012.[18]

Gas and wind power

Agriculture

Stock raising is prevalent.

Fishing

Three small fishing ports.

Transportation

Railway

Highway

International relations

Waren, Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, Germany[23] Sister city since 1994.

Local attractions

In popular media

A documentary, Rokkasho Rhapsody, came out in 2006, which portrays the Rokkasho community's views on the nuclear reprocessing plant.

External links

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Rokkasho village official statistics. Japan. ja.
  2. http://en.climate-data.org/location/472556/ Rokkasho climate data
  3. https://www.citypopulation.de/php/japan-aomori.php Rokkasho population statistics
  4. News: Rokkasho and a hard place . The Economist . 10 November 2012 . 4 May 2015.
  5. News: 県民平均所得、六ケ所村9年連続トップ 全体、前年度比0.1%増 14年度 /青森 . 毎日新聞 . 31 March 2017 . 22 August 2018.
  6. Web site: What is Reprocessing? . . 23 March 2011 . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20110724001313/http://www.greenaction-japan.org/modules/english0/index.php?id=6 . 24 July 2011 .
  7. ROKKASHO-MURA TO BE WORLD'S LARGEST SOURCE OF RADIOACTIVE KRYPTON GREENPEACE CALLS FOR FULL DISCLOSURE . 22 November 2002 . . 23 March 2011 . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20110720045651/http://www.greenpeace.or.jp/press/2002/eng/20021122_html . 20 July 2011 .
  8. Web site: Planning for failure: International nuclear safeguards and the Rokkasho-mura reprocessing plant . Barnaby . Frank . Burnie . Shaun . 12 November 2002 . . . 23 March 2011.
  9. Web site: Rokkasho and Japan's Nuclear Fuel Cycle Policy . . 23 March 2011.
  10. Thinking the Unthinkable: Japanese nuclear power and proliferation in East Asia . Barnabie . Frank . Burnie . Shaun . 8 September 2005 . The Asia-Pacific Journal: Japan Focus . 23 March 2011.
  11. Japanese, South Korean Plutonium Plants Raise Security Concerns in Region . February 2006 . WMD Insights . 23 March 2011 . https://web.archive.org/web/20070928043314/http://www.wmdinsights.org/I2/EA1_Rokkashos.htm . 28 September 2007.
  12. Web site: Japan: Rokkasho nuclear reprocessing plant fuels debate . Salzberg . Chris . 21 March 2008 . . 23 March 2011.
  13. News: Japan's nuclear waste will spill from new plant's chimney . Norrie . Justin . 26 April 2008 . . 23 March 2011.
  14. Web site: stop-rokkasho.org . . 23 March 2011.
  15. Web site: Wings of Peace: No more Hiroshima, Nagasaki. Stop Rokkasho . . 23 March 2011 . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20110722121200/http://www.greenpeace.or.jp/campaign/nuclear/hiroshima/slide/index_en_html . 22 July 2011 .
  16. Web site: No more Hiroshima Nagasaki Stop the plutonium production plant at Rokkasho! . . 23 March 2011 . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20121030122702/http://www.greenpeace.or.jp/cyberaction/npt/index_en_html . 30 October 2012 .
  17. Web site: Helios . . 20 November 2012.
  18. Web site: Rokkasho to host supercomputer for fusion research . . 21 April 2011.
  19. http://www.moos.co.jp/english/ Mutsu-Ogawara Oil Storage Co home page
  20. https://www.eco-power.co.jp/project.html Eco Power home page
  21. http://www.jwd.co.jp/english/outline.html Japan Wind Development Company Ltd home page
  22. Web site: NAS Battery energy storage system. NGK Insulators. 2013. 2015-01-24.
  23. Web site: International Exchange. List of Affiliation Partners within Prefectures. Council of Local Authorities for International Relations (CLAIR). English. 21 November 2015. dead. https://web.archive.org/web/20151122060024/http://www.clair.or.jp/cgi-bin/simai/e/03.cgi?p=02&n=Aomori%20Prefecture. 22 November 2015.