Nuclear Waste Threatens Japan's Minamitori Island Ecosystem

ILLUSTRATION PIXABAY

Minamitori Island, Japan's easternmost island that is under consideration as a permanent location for high-level radioactive waste disposal, is facing new concerns regarding the sustainability of the region's environment.

Private research institutions warn that field surveys and development that are part of the potential location determination process reduce the value of island conservation, which has long been known to have unique biodiversity.

Initial surveys on the feasibility of Minamitori Island as a nuclear waste disposal site began last month. This phase is the first part of a three-stage selection process that is expected to last for 20 years, before the final location of high-level radioactive waste disposal is determined.

The Japan Nuclear Waste Management Organization, which oversees the project, said the survey was conducted based on published geological sources and focused on the study of rock layers and mineral resources. The organization also confirmed that "the ecosystem is not included in the evaluation items."

The statement sparked concerns from the Boninology Institute, a research institute based in Ogasawara Village, Tokyo's administrative region. Since the central government proposed an initial survey for Minamitori Island in March, the institute has independently collected and published information on the island's natural environment.

To date, the Institute of Boninology has compiled more than 120 academic papers documenting various species of fish, plants, and rare wildlife that live on the island. The collection of research shows the conservation value of Minamitori Island, which is considered very high.

Established on Chichijima Island in 2000 to help protect the ecosystem of the entire Ogasawara Islands in the Pacific Ocean, the institution has been actively conducting wildlife research and environmental conservation activities.

The Deputy Director of the Institute of Boninology, Hajime Suzuki, assessed that the data currently available is sufficient to show the importance of protecting the area.

"The knowledge we have today is enough to show the value of conserving the island. The ecosystem must be studied thoroughly before human access to the island increases," Suzuki said, as reported by ANTARA from Kyodo-OANA, Monday, June 22.

A number of scientific findings reinforce this view. One of them is the existence of a rare mermaid fish found around Minamitori Island in 1987. The fish has a pattern of spots that change as it grows and is able to change its gender from female to male. The waters around the island are believed to be one of its main habitats.

In the central part of the island, Togemiudonoki or grand devil's-claws also grow, a flowering tree from the Bougainvillea family that is commonly found in Australia and the South Pacific region. The species is not found in other areas of Japan.

In addition, an ornithological survey in 2022 confirmed the existence of a mother and child of the white tern, which is the first record of the breeding of the species in Japan in the last 120 years.

The Boninology Institute reminds that the risk to the environment does not only arise at the initial survey stage. According to the institution, the preliminary investigation stage will involve drilling activities at the site, while detailed investigations have the potential to trigger the construction of underground facilities that can cause significant environmental changes.

On this basis, Suzuki urged that field research led by local communities be carried out immediately to ensure that all the ecological values of Minamitori Island are documented and considered before further development takes place.