IINA: Another Issue Concerning Tritium: Reflections on the Boundary Between Peaceful and Military Uses of Nuclear Energy

By Yuki Kobayashi, Research Fellow, Sasakawa Peace Foundation

Tritium exists in nature and is produced as a byproduct of the combustion of uranium fuel in nuclear reactors. In Japan, tritium is known to be contained in ALPS treated water discharged into the ocean from the Tokyo Electric Power Company’s Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant. However, there is another aspect of this nuclear material: it plays an essential role in boosting the explosive power of nuclear weapons. In the context of the use of tritium in nuclear weapons, France has announced its intention to decommission its aging tritium-producing military reactors and, as an alternative, to produce tritium in commercial nuclear reactors by the end of 2025. It has become a point of contention among non-proliferation experts.