The Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry will shelve its research on and development of laser uranium-enrichment technology used to produce fuel for nuclear power, a project that was launched in the 1980s and has cost billions of yen.
A lab in Tokai, Ibaraki Prefecture, researches laser uranium-enrichment technology.Laser Atomic Separation Engineering Research Assoc. of Japan photo
Ministry officials will not request any more funding for the project for the next fiscal year. They recently said the decision to give up on the project reflects questions about the technology's applicability and economic feasibility.
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