Policy issues on technology development for high-level radioactive waste disposal from the viewpoint of intergenerational equity. Through analyzing the arguments on retrievability

It is recognized that social and political perspectives are crucial for decision-making of the high-level radioactive waste (HLW) disposal. Understanding and addressing value judgments involved in decision-making becomes the essential part of the efforts to gain public acceptance of HLW disposal. This study discusses policy issues raised by the change of the concept of intergenerational equity, which is one of the most important principles for the value judgments concerning HLW disposal. This principle is widening its scope: in addition to the obligation of the current generation to minimize risk, cost and burden for the future generation, the obligation to maintain equal opportunities for the future generation is recently emphasized. Serious consideration of retrievability is regarded as a symbol of this change. This study focuses on the implications of the above change in the strategy of disposal technology development. It points out that comprehensive consideration including the viewpoints of ensuring retrievability and gaining confidence in robustness of the disposal system is required to optimize the methodology of HLW disposal and that the optimized methodology should be evaluated from the social perspective to ensure high level public consensus. Moreover, this study makes suggestions on development of technology elements to provide a firm basis for optimization. (author)