Tatsujiro Suzuki

This paper reviews the history, status, and probable future of fast reactor and associated fuel cycle development in Japan. The fast breeder reactor and its closed fuel cycle have been the cornerstone of Japan’s nuclear-energy development program since the 1950s. For economic, technological, and political reasons, Japan’s development and implementation of these technologies are significantly delayed. The budget for fast breeder reactor development has steadily declined since the mid-1990s, and its commercialization target has slipped from the 1980s to the 2050s. An accident at the Monju prototype reactor contributed to these delays and triggered a fundamental shift from research and development (R&D) and early commercialization to an emphasis on advanced fuel cycles.

Nevertheless, Japan is still committed to fast-reactor development. This paper examines the motivation for its continued commitment to a fast reactor program and concludes that several non-technological factors, such as bureaucratic inertia, commitments to local communities, and an absence of R&D oversight have contributed to this entrenched position. Japan is currently reorganizing its R&D programs with the goal of operating a demonstration breeder reactor by about 2025. This effort is in response to the government sponsored Nuclear Power National Plan and the Bush Administration’s Global Nuclear Energy Partnership Program (GNEP). Breeder R&D programs face significant obstacles, such as plutonium-stockpile management, spent fuel management, fuel cycle technologies, and arrangements for cost and risk sharing between industry, national and local governments. As a result, it is likely that fast breeder reactor programs will continue to slip.