Rokkasho, Aomori

Rokkasho (六ヶ所村, Rokkasho-mura) is a village in Aomori Prefecture, Japan. As of 1 April 2020, the village had an estimated population of 10,200, and a population density of 40 persons per km², in 4,855 households.[1] The total area of the village is 252.68 square kilometres (97.56 sq mi).

Rokkasho

六ヶ所村
Village
Rokkasho Nuclear Reprocessing Plant
Flag
Seal
Location of Rokkasho in Aomori Prefecture
Rokkasho
 
Coordinates: 40°58′02″N 141°22′28″E
CountryJapan
RegionTōhoku
PrefectureAomori
DistrictKamikita
Area
 • Total252.68 km2 (97.56 sq mi)
Population
 (April 1, 2020)
 • Total10,200
 • Density40/km2 (100/sq mi)
Time zoneUTC+9 (Japan Standard Time)
- TreeJapanese black pine
- FlowerDaylily
- BirdWhite-tailed eagle
Phone number0175-72-2111
Address475 Noduki Obuchi, Rokkasho-mura, Kamikita-gun, Aomori 039-3212
WebsiteOfficial website
Rokkasho village hall

Geography

Rokkasho occupies the eastern coastline of the base of Shimokita Peninsula, facing the Pacific Ocean to the east. The village forms the northern shoreline of Lake Ogawara.

Neighbouring municipalities

Aomori Prefecture

Climate

The village has a cold maritime climate characterized by cool short summers and long cold winters with heavy snowfall (Köppen climate classification Cfa). The average annual temperature in Rokkasho is 9.6 °C. The average annual rainfall is 1213 mm with September as the wettest month.The temperatures are highest on average in August, at around 22.4 °C, and lowest in January, at around -2.0 °C.[2]

Climate data for Rokkasho-mura（1981-2010）
Month Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Year
Average high °C (°F) 1.1
(34.0)		 1.6
(34.9)		 5.3
(41.5)		 12.0
(53.6)		 16.9
(62.4)		 19.4
(66.9)		 22.6
(72.7)		 25.4
(77.7)		 22.4
(72.3)		 17.0
(62.6)		 10.4
(50.7)		 4.1
(39.4)		 13.2
(55.8)
Daily mean °C (°F) −1.7
(28.9)		 −1.4
(29.5)		 1.6
(34.9)		 7.2
(45.0)		 11.8
(53.2)		 15.1
(59.2)		 18.7
(65.7)		 21.3
(70.3)		 18.2
(64.8)		 12.5
(54.5)		 6.4
(43.5)		 1.0
(33.8)		 9.2
(48.6)
Average low °C (°F) −4.6
(23.7)		 −4.5
(23.9)		 −2.0
(28.4)		 3.0
(37.4)		 7.7
(45.9)		 11.7
(53.1)		 15.9
(60.6)		 18.3
(64.9)		 14.7
(58.5)		 8.3
(46.9)		 2.7
(36.9)		 −2.0
(28.4)		 5.7
(42.3)
Average precipitation mm (inches) 96.7
(3.81)		 68.3
(2.69)		 58.8
(2.31)		 63.2
(2.49)		 91.1
(3.59)		 107.9
(4.25)		 162.8
(6.41)		 149.1
(5.87)		 170.7
(6.72)		 115.6
(4.55)		 102.0
(4.02)		 96.6
(3.80)		 1,301
(51.22)
Mean monthly sunshine hours 77.0 98.0 153.7 187.1 191.5 153.8 129.2 139.3 140.2 149.0 101.9 78.5 1,593.8
Source: Japan Meteorological Agency

Demographics

Per Japanese census data,[3] the population of Rokkasho has remained relatively stable over the past 50 years.

Historical population
YearPop.±%
1920 5,802—    
1930 6,554+13.0%
1940 7,977+21.7%
1950 10,702+34.2%
1960 13,523+26.4%
1970 11,749−13.1%
1980 11,104−5.5%
1990 10,071−9.3%
2000 11,849+17.7%
2010 11,092−6.4%

History

The area around Rokkasho was known for raising horses during the Kamakura period. During the Edo period, it was controlled by the Nanbu clan of Morioka Domain, becoming part of the territories of Shichinohe Domain in the latter half of the Edo period. With the establishment of the modern municipalities system after the start of the Meiji period, on April 1, 1889, the village of Rokkasho was created following the merger of six small hamlets.

Government

Rokkasho has a mayor-council form of government with a directly elected mayor and a unicameral village council of 18 members. Rokkasho is part of Kamikita District which contributes four members to the Aomori Prefectural Assembly. In terms of national politics, the town is part of Aomori 2nd district of the lower house of the Diet of Japan.

Education

Rokkasho has four public elementary schools and four public middle schools operated by the village government and one public high school operated by the Aomori Prefectural Board of Education.

Economy

The economy of Rokkasho has traditionally been dependent on agriculture and commercial fishing. From the 1980s onwards, the village has become a center for various energy developments, which now dominate the local economy.[4] Rokkasho's per capita income was $129,676 (1557,8000 Yen $1= 120.13 Yen )[5]

Nuclear industry & Research

Nuclear fuel cycle related facilities:

The Japan Atomic Energy Agency also has multiple facilities at the site like the Linear IFMIF Prototype Accelerator (LIPAc) devoted to the Fusion Energy Development Programme under the European Union-Japan Broader Approach agreement.

Since the 1970s, local opposition to plans to operate Japan's first large commercial plutonium plant at Rokkasho have focused on the threat of a large-scale release of radioactivity. During the 1990s anti-nuclear groups in Japan released studies showing the risks of routine operation of the Rokkasho Reprocessing Plant. The facility in full operation is designed to separate as much as 8 tons of plutonium each year from spent reactor fuel from Japan's domestic nuclear reactors. As of 2006 Japan owned approximately 45 tons of separated plutonium.[6][7][8][9][10][11][12][13]

In May, 2006, an international awareness campaign about the dangers of the Rokkasho reprocessing plant, Stop Rokkasho,[14] was launched by musician Ryuichi Sakamoto. Greenpeace has opposed operation of the Rokkasho Reprocessing Plant under a campaign called "Wings of Peace: No more Hiroshima, Nagasaki. Stop Rokkasho",[15] since 2002 and has launched a cyberaction[16] to stop the project.

Rokkasho was a candidate to host the plasma fusion reactor ITER, but lost out to Cadarache, France. Rokkasho has been hosting the Helios high-performance supercomputer[17] centre capable of performing complex plasma physics calculations for fusion research, since January 2012.[18]

Gas and wind power
  • Mutsu-Ogawara Oil Storage Facility [19]
    • Completed: September 1985
    • Max capacity: around 5,700 megaliters in 51 tanks
    • Current usage: 4,920 megaliters at end of March 2003
    • Managing company：Mutsu-Ogawara Oil Storage Co Ltd
  • Mutsu-Ogawara Wind Farm[20]
    • Established: January 2003
    • Power: 31,500 kW (1,500 kW × 21 units)
    • Managing company: Eco power
  • Rokkashomura Futamata Wind Power Plant [21]
    • Established: December 2003
    • Power: 31,850 kW (1,500 kW × 20 units; 1,425 KW x 2 units)
    • Managing company: Japan Wind Development Company Ltd
  • Rokkashomura Wind Power Plant[21]
    • Established: May 2007
    • Power: 51,000 kW (1,500 kW × 34 units)
    • Managing company: Japan Wind Development Company Ltd
  • Battery energy storage facility

Agriculture

Stock raising is prevalent.

Fishing

Three small fishing ports.

Transportation

Railway
  • Rokkasho is not served by any passenger train service.

Highway

International relations

Waren, Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, Germany[23] Sister city since 1994.

Local attractions
  • Rokkasho Prefectural History Museum

A documentary, Rokkasho Rhapsody, came out in 2006, which portrays the Rokkasho community's views on the nuclear reprocessing plant.[24]

References
  1. Rokkasho Village official statistics
  2. Rokkasho climate data
  3. Rokkasho population statistics
  4. "Rokkasho and a hard place". The Economist. 10 November 2012. Retrieved 4 May 2015.
  5. "県民平均所得、六ケ所村９年連続トップ 全体、前年度比０．１％増 １４年度 ／青森". 毎日新聞. 31 March 2017. Retrieved 22 August 2018.
  6. "What is Reprocessing?". Green Action. Archived from the original on 24 July 2011. Retrieved 23 March 2011.
  7. "ROKKASHO-MURA TO BE WORLD'S LARGEST SOURCE OF RADIOACTIVE KRYPTON GREENPEACE CALLS FOR FULL DISCLOSURE" (Press release). Greenpeace Japan. 22 November 2002. Archived from the original on 20 July 2011. Retrieved 23 March 2011.
  8. Barnaby, Frank; Burnie, Shaun (12 November 2002). "Planning for failure: International nuclear safeguards and the Rokkasho-mura reprocessing plant" (PDF). Greenpeace. Retrieved 23 March 2011.
  9. "Rokkasho and Japan's Nuclear Fuel Cycle Policy". Citizens' Nuclear Information Center. Retrieved 23 March 2011.
  10. Barnabie, Frank; Burnie, Shaun (8 September 2005). "Thinking the Unthinkable: Japanese nuclear power and proliferation in East Asia". The Asia-Pacific Journal: Japan Focus. Retrieved 23 March 2011.
  11. "Japanese, South Korean Plutonium Plants Raise Security Concerns in Region". WMD Insights. February 2006. Archived from the original on 28 September 2007. Retrieved 23 March 2011.
  12. Salzberg, Chris (21 March 2008). "Japan: Rokkasho nuclear reprocessing plant fuels debate". Global Voices Online. Retrieved 23 March 2011.
  13. Norrie, Justin (26 April 2008). "Japan's nuclear waste will spill from new plant's chimney". The Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved 23 March 2011.
  14. "stop-rokkasho.org". Stop Rokkasho. Retrieved 23 March 2011.
  15. "Wings of Peace: No more Hiroshima, Nagasaki. Stop Rokkasho". Greenpeace Japan. Archived from the original on 22 July 2011. Retrieved 23 March 2011.
  16. "No more Hiroshima Nagasaki Stop the plutonium production plant at Rokkasho!". Greenpeace Japan. Archived from the original on 30 October 2012. Retrieved 23 March 2011.
  17. "Helios". TOP500. Retrieved 20 November 2012.
  18. "Rokkasho to host supercomputer for fusion research". ITER. Retrieved 21 April 2011.
  19. Mutsu-Ogawara Oil Storage Co home page
  20. Eco Power home page
  21. Japan Wind Development Company Ltd home page
  22. "NAS Battery energy storage system" (PDF). NGK Insulators. 2013. Retrieved 2015-01-24.
  23. "International Exchange". List of Affiliation Partners within Prefectures. Council of Local Authorities for International Relations (CLAIR). Archived from the original on 22 November 2015. Retrieved 21 November 2015.
  24. Rokkashomura Rhapsody at IMDb
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