鈴木北海道知事、核ごみ拒否　政府に申し入れ

　高レベル放射性廃棄物（核のごみ）の最終処分地選定の第１段階に当たる「文献調査」が北海道２町村で始まったことを受け、北海道は１８日、核のごみを持ち込まないよう求める文書を経済産業省に送付したと発表した。鈴木直道知事名で、梶山弘志経産相あてにメールで提出した。
　文書では、調査の進展状況や結果について道民に丁寧に説明することや、調査に伴う風評被害対策なども求めた。第２段階の概要調査への移行では、知事か町村長のいずれかが反対した場合には選定過程から外すよう求めた。（2020/11/18-21:08）

Hokkaido Governor Naomichi Suzuki urged the industry ministry Wednesday not to bring high-level radioactive waste into the northernmost Japan prefecture.
   Suzuki made the request in an email he sent to industry minister Hiroshi Kajiyama in the wake of the start in two Hokkaido municipalities Tuesday of the initial survey to pick the final disposal site for the dangerous waste from domestic nuclear power plants.
   Suzuki also demanded that the ministry fully report to Hokkaido citizens progress in the survey and its results and take measures to prevent harmful rumors.
   In addition, he conditioned the acceptance of the second-stage survey on consent of the Hokkaido governor as well as each of the chiefs of the town of Suttsu and the village of Kamoenai.
   The three-stage survey, conducted by the Nuclear Waste Management Organization of Japan, or NUMO, is expected to take some 20 years to complete. NUMO says nuclear waste will not be brought into Hokkaido during the survey period.