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Deep Borehole Disposal of Nuclear Spent Fuel and High Level Waste as a Focus of Regional East Asia Nuclear Fuel Cycle Cooperation

Peter Hayes, Executive Director of the Nautilus Institute, and David von Hippel, Nautilus Institute Senior Associate, explore the feasibility of deep borehole nuclear waste storage in East Asia. The report presents summaries of the current concept of deep borehole disposal of nuclear wastes, key unknowns and uncertainties about deep borehole-related technologies as they apply to nuclear spent fuel disposal, the status of deep borehole research both internationally and in the countries of the region, and–finally–next steps in the exploration of the applicability of the deep borehole concept to cooperative nuclear waste management solutions in East Asia.

Policy Forum 10-059: Strategy for a Northeast Asia Nuclear Weapon-Free Zone as a step to “Common Security”

Yuasa Ichiro, President of the Peace Depot, writes, “The formation of a NEA-NWFZ will be a significant initial step to establish a non-military security in Northeast Asia. Through the multilateral treaty talks, confidence among concerned nations will be built. It could also be an opportunity to pave the way to an agreement of no attack and renunciation of war. This is indeed a process toward a “Common security” in the region and I strongly believe that the cooperation of citizens in the Asia-Pacific area to this end would contribute greatly to reduce the military expense.”

Policy Forum 10-058: Climate Change and Regime Longevity in the DPRK

Ben Habib, a Lecturer in Politics and International Relations in the School of Social Sciences at La Trobe University, writes, “In the short to medium term, climate-driven food insecurity is likely to pull Pyongyang into increasing reliance on its nuclear weapons program as leverage to bargain for international largesse in the form of food, energy and fertiliser supplies.  The increased importance of the nuclear bargaining chip in the context of climate change, in conjunction with the numerous other justifications for its nuclear proliferation (domestic politics, security, ideology), makes it even more unlikely that the regime will relinquish its nuclear weapons capability.”