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Japan’s METI Chief Vows All-Out Push to Finish Rokkasho Reprocessing Plant by FY2026

The visit spotlighted a long-delayed fuel-cycle linchpin that is pressuring reactor storage capacity.

Overview

  • Economy and trade minister Yasuji Muto inspected Japan Nuclear Fuel Ltd.’s spent-fuel reprocessing site in Rokkasho, Aomori, on October 2.
  • Muto called the fiscal 2026 completion target a very important task and pledged that the government would mobilize with industry to meet it.
  • He voiced confidence in construction progress, saying the work had advanced and that he believed it would be fine.
  • The plant is designed to recover reusable uranium and plutonium from spent nuclear fuel as part of Japan’s fuel-cycle policy.
  • Completion is nearly three decades behind the original schedule, leaving reactor pool storage capacity tight nationwide.