The town hall in Suttsu, Hokkaido, where a literature survey has started on whether the municipality is geologically sound to host a final storage facility for high-level radioactive waste (Asahi Shimbun file photo)
SUTTSU, Hokkaido In an abrupt turn of events, this coastal fishing town decided to hold an early referendum on whether to host a final storage facility for highly radioactive waste from nuclear plants across Japan.
The town assembly on March 8 adopted an ordinance to hold a vote before Suttsu enters the second stage of the central government’s 20-year selection process for the storage site.
The referendum will likely be held at the end of next year at the earliest in the town of around 3,000 people in western Hokkaido.