The Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry Ministry and Japan Nuclear Fuel Ltd. will work together on improving a furnace for disposing of radioactive waste at the spent nuclear fuel reprocessing plant in Aomori Prefecture, ministry sources said.
The development cost is expected to exceed ¥14 billion, of which the government will provide about ¥7 billion, they said. The project will aim for completion in the 2013 fiscal year.
The decision was made because the melting furnace at the plant in Rokkasho has had technical problems, causing the plant to extend its trial period to August.
Under the plan, METI and the plant's operator will improve the structure of the melting furnace to prevent platinum-group metals from accumulating on its floor.
The furnace's current configuration makes it difficult to produce vitrified waste.
Japan Nuclear Fuel has been producing vitrified waste at the plant that is later buried underground by mixing high-level radioactive liquid waste with glass raw materials in the melting furnace.
Plutonium is extracted in the course of the reprocessing.