Japan to abandon Monju nuclear reactor

After almost $10 billion in spending, Japan looks set to permanently shut down its trouble-prone Monju prototype fast-breeder reactor

MONJU REACTOR TIMELINE

1986: Reactor construction begins

Apr 1994: Reactor goes online.First electricity generated in Aug 1995

Dec 1995: Monju shut down aftermajor coolant leak from reactorpiping. Video of leak and firereleased by JAEA is laterfound to have been doctored

2009: Holes discovered inreactor auxiliary building

May 2010: Reactor restarted

Aug 2010: Operation halted afterrefuelling machine falls on reactor

2012: Following Fukushimanuclear disaster, JAEA is found tohave skipped safety checks on 10,000components. JAEA president resigns

2013: JAEA report admits to failing 14,000 component checks

2014: Discovery of malware attackon Monju computer system

Sep 21, 2016: Government signals it will decommission Monju. Decision due by December

Sea of Japan

Monju

PACIFIC OCEAN

FUKUI PREFECTURE

JAPAN

Fukushima Daiichi

Tokyo

100km 60 miles

Stack

Waste building

Auxiliary building

Turbine building

Reactor building Sodium-cooled. Burnsplutonium, producingmore fuel than it consumes

Office building

Diesel building

Sources: Japan Atomic Energy Agency (JAEA), wire agencies