HLW stands for high-level radioactive waste. Concern about the safety of HLW disposal is another important element for the public in deciding their choice of nuclear power along with the safety issues related to nuclear power plant operation. Former Prime Minister Koizumi changed his political stance clearly after the Fukushima nuclear accident in March 2011, from pro-nuclear to anti-nuclear, mainly on the basis of his concern about the safety of HLW disposal.

K. Yamaji (*)

Research Institute of Innovative Technology for the Earth (RITE), 9-2 Kizugawadai, Kizugawa-shi, Kyoto 619-0292, Japan e-mail: yamaji@rite. or. jp

© The Author(s) 2015

K. Nakajima (ed.), Nuclear Back-end and Transmutation Technology for Waste Disposal, DOI 10.1007/978-4-431-55111-9_24