News that the central government is finalizing plans to decommission the Monju fast-breeder reactor in Fukui Prefecture has sparked anger and fear among local politicians about what will happen to their economy, and could make Fukui's cooperation in restarting other reactors more complicated.
In Tsuruga, where Monju is located, Mayor Takanobu Fuchikami said last week that decommissioning would hugely impact the local economy. Tsuruga receives government subsidies for hosting the plant and has a service industry that derives much of its income from officials, engineers, and others who visit the facility.
"If a decision is made to decommission, without taking in the long-term view and without ever having shown results, then we have to ask what all of the cooperation the city has given in the past to the Monju program was all about," Fuchikami said.
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