Japan Map

Japan Transportation

MOX fuel shipments are conducted in accordance with the U.S.-Japan Agreement for Cooperation Concerning Peaceful Uses of Nuclear Energy (U.S.-Japan Agreement). Under the terms of the Agreement, Japan needs to consult with U.S. authorities for any shipment containing plutonium extracted from nuclear fuel originally supplied by the United States for use in Japan's power reactors. This transportation plan was established with the cooperation and assistance of the U.S. government.

MOX fuel shipments are carried out by vessels belonging to Pacific Nuclear Transport Ltd. (PNTL) , Over the past 20 years, PNTL has maintained an impeccable safety record, having transported over 8,000 tons of nuclear material over 4.5 million miles without a single incident involving the release of radioactivity.
International experts rate PNTL vessels to be among the world's safest, far above conventional cargo vessels. They feature double hulls to withstand collision damage, enhanced buoyancy to maintain the ship afloat even in extreme circumstances, dual navigation and tracking systems, twin engines and propellers, and additional firefighting equipment, including a hold-flooding system. Moreover, all ships are certified to the highest safety category "INF3" code by the International Maritime Organization (IMO).

The specialized casks are built to standards set by the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA). The casks are massive, made from thick forged steel, and weigh around 100 tons, with five tons' of solid MOX fuel inside. Their security and reliability are carefully tested, including being dropped 9 meters onto an unyielding target, immersed in 15 meters of water for at least 8 hours, and fire tested, where the cask is fully engulfed in 800-degree-Celsius temperatures for 30 minutes. The casks are able to survive the pressure of several thousand meters of water.

In addition, the MOX fuel itself is inherently safe and resistant to the effect of outside elements. The pellets are a hard ceramic, stone-like material that is so durable that it would take thousands and thousands of years to dissolve. The fuel rods are corrosion resistant and are able to withstand the depths of several thousand meters of water.

A recent study by the Central Research Institute of Electric Utilities in Japan shows that even by discounting the sealing capacity of a cask on the seabed, the impact on those living near the incident would amount to one-millionth of natural background radiation. If such an accident happened in deep waters, the impact would be equivalent to ten-millionths of background radiation.

The physical protection measures for the MOX fuel shipments meet the recommendations of the IAEA and the requirements of the U.S.-Japan Agreement. There are typically two PNTL vessels, armed for self-defense that sail in a convoy, each escorting and protecting the other. Armed officers of the U.K. Atomic Energy Authority Constabulary (UKAEAC), who have been specially trained to protect nuclear facilities and materials, are responsible for protection aboard the ship. The U.K. government is also responsible for ensuring the physical protection of vessels and cargo during the voyage.

Transportation of Vitrified Waste

As described in the vitrified waste section, waste from reprocessing is entombed in glass. This waste must be transported back to Japan, the country of origin.

The canisters of vitrified waste are transported in a specific cask, licensed by French and Japanese Authorities. Each cask, designed to ensure the safety of the transport, weighs around 100 tonnes, is 6.6 m long and 2.4 m in diameter. It is similar to a spent fuel transport cask. Each cask can contain 20 or 28 canisters.

The ships have been specially designed and are only used for the transport of nuclear materials. Their length is in the range of one hundred meters. Four purpose-built ships (Pacific Sandpiper, Pacific Pintail, Pacific Teal, Pacific Swan) owned by Pacific Nuclear Transport Limited (PNTL) have been approved for the transport of vitrified residues.

The casks and ships used, as well as the organization of the transport meet the latest requirements of the applicable international and national regulations, including those related to safety (International Atomic Energy Agency recommendations, and International Maritime Organization).

Flights to Japan

The link above will take you to our online flights booking system which compares all the major airlines, then returns the different options and prices for flights to Japan.

Japan in hotels

accommodation in Japan. All have maps, photos, complete information and secure online booking with instant e-mail confirmation.

Second Sino-Japanese war and World War II

Under the pretext of the Manchurian Incident, Lieutenant Colonel Kanji Ishiwara invaded Inner (Chinese) Manchuria in 1931, an action the Japanese government ratified with the creation of the puppet state of Manchukuo under the last Chinese emperor, Pu Yi. As a result of international condemnation of the incident, Japan resigned from the League of Nations in 1933. After several more similar incidents fueled by an expansionist military, the second Sino-Japanese War began in 1937 after the Marco Polo Bridge Incident.

During the first part of the Shōwa period, according to the Meiji Constitution, the Emperor had the "supreme command of the Army and the Navy" (Article 11). From 1937, Emperor Shōwa became supreme commander of the Imperial General Headquarters, by which the military decisions were made. This ad-hoc body consisted of the chief and vice chief of the Army, the minister of the Army, the chief and vice chief of the Navy, the minister of the Navy, the inspector general of military aviation, and the inspector general of military training.

Having joined the Anti-Comintern Pact in 1936, Japan formed the Axis Pact with Germany and Italy on September 27, 1940. Many Japanese politicians, believed war with the Occident to be inevitable due to inherent cultural differences and Western imperialism. Japanese imperialism, was then justified by the revival of the traditional concept of hakko ichiu, the divine right of the emperor to unite and rule the world.

Japan fought the Soviet Union in 1938 in the Battle of Lake Khasan and in 1939 in the Battle of Khalkhin Gol. Comprehensive defeat of the Japanese by the Soviets led by Zhukov in the latter battle led to the signing of the Soviet–Japanese Neutrality Pact.

Tensions were mounting with the U.S. as a result of public outcry over Japanese aggression and reports of atrocities in China, such as the infamous Nanjing Massacre. In retaliation to the invasion of French Indochina the U.S. began an embargo on such goods as petroleum products and scrap iron. On July 25, 1941, all Japanese assets in the US were frozen. Because Japan's military might, especially the Navy, was dependent on their dwindling oil reserves, this action had the contrary effect of increasing Japan's dependence on and hunger for new acquisitions.

Many civil leaders of Japan, including Prime Minister Konoe Fumimaro, believed a war with America would end in defeat, but felt the concessions demanded by the U.S. would almost certainly relegate Japan from the ranks of the World Powers, leaving it prey to Western collusion. Civil leaders offered political compromises in the form of the Amau Doctrine, dubbed the "Japanese Monroe Doctrine" that would have given the Japanese free rein with regards to war with China. These offers were flatly rejected by U.S. Secretary of State Cordell Hull; the military leaders instead vied for quick military action.

Japan Wars with China and Russia

Japanese intellectuals of the late-Meiji period espoused the concept of a "line of advantage," an idea that would help to justify Japanese foreign policy at the turn of the century. According to this principle, embodied in the slogan fukoku kyōhei (富国強兵, fukoku kyōhei^?), Japan would be vulnerable to aggressive Western imperialism unless it extended a line of advantage beyond its borders which would help to repel foreign incursions and strengthen the Japanese economy. Emphasis was especially placed on Japan's "preeminent interests" in the Korean Peninsula, once famously described as a "dagger pointed at the heart of Japan." It was tensions over Korea and Manchuria, respectively, that led Japan to become involved in the first Sino-Japanese War with China in 1894-1895 and the Russo-Japanese War with Russia in 1904-1905.

The war with China made Japan the world's first Eastern, modern imperial power, and the war with Russia proved that a Western power could be defeated by an Eastern state. The aftermath of these two wars left Japan the dominant power in the Far East, with a sphere of influence extending over southern Manchuria and Korea, which was formally annexed as part of the Japanese Empire in 1910 (see below). Japan had also gained half of Sakhalin Island from Russia.

For Japan and for the moment, it established the country's dominant interest in Korea, while giving it the Pescadores Islands, Formosa (now Taiwan), and the Liaodong Peninsula in Manchuria, which was eventually retroceded in the "humiliating" Triple Intervention. Over the next decade, Japan would flaunt its growing prowess, including a very significant contribution to the Eight-Nation Alliance, formed to quell China's Boxer Rebellion. Many Japanese, however, believed their new empire was still regarded as inferior by the Western powers, and they sought a means of cementing their international standing. This set the climate for growing tensions with Russia, who would continually intrude into Japan's "line of advantage" during this time.

History of Japan

The written history of Japan begins with brief references in the 1st century AD Twenty-Four Histories, a collection of Chinese historical texts. However, archaeological evidence indicates that people were living on the islands of Japan as early as the upper paleolithic period.
Following the last ice-age fostered human development. The earliest-known , around 12,000 BC, the rich ecosystem of the Japanese Archipelagopottery belongs to the Jōmon period.

Japan Travel

Japan have heard of "Daibutsu in Nara(奈良の大仏)" prefecture which is the largest Daibutsu(大仏), monumental statue of Buddha in Japan. Then, do you know the second largest Daibutsu in Japan?


The Daibutsu meditates silently close to my living place, Kamakura in Kanagawa prefecture. The name Daibutsu is commonly known by “Kawakura-no-Daibutsu(鎌倉の大仏)”, Buddha in Kamakura and also called “Hase-no-Daibutsu(長谷の大仏)” because the place the Daibutsu is in is Hase. This is designated a national treasure in Japan.

“Kawakura-no-Daibutsu” was constructed more than 700 years ago with funds from civil. At first, the construction started in 1238 and finished 1243, and the Daibutsu was wooden, so it was totally destroyed with a storm soon, in 1247. The Daibutsu was constructed again with bronze in 1252, and it completed in several years.


The Daibutsu has 11.39 meters high. It’s just amazing scenery that the calm Daibutsu sits there and closed eyes. I was kind of scared when I stated it because it overwhelmed people with its giant appearance and I felt like it is about to open eyes and even move. That much it looked alive.


There is an interesting option at Kamakura-no-Daibutsu. You can come into the Daibutsu inside! It is just 20 yen to enter. When I got in the Daibutsu, the skin was really warm, it is because bronze absorbs sunlight and gets warm inside. I didn’t take a shot of Daibutsu inside because I somehow felt it is not allowed to do that, especially like for holy thing or place, I am not a Buddhist though. So, please check out visiting there how is like the Daibutsu inside.

Kugenuma Seaside

Probably 鵠沼海岸 is hard Kanji to read even for Japanese. 鵠沼海岸(Kugenuma Kaigan) is in Fujisawa city in Kanagawa prefecture. Some of you many know 湘南海岸(Shonan Kaigan), and Kugenuma Kaigan is so close to the beach.