Japan Atomic Energy Agency
Since 1998, the Japan Atomic Energy Agency started planning an underground research laboratory at Honorobe to be able to conduct tests on the suitability of sedimentary rock for use as a deep geological repository for Japan's spent nuclear fuel (a similar research facility in crystalline rock is also being constructed at Mizunami in Gifu Prefecture). Excavation began in 2003, and is scheduled for completion in 2017. A possibility of making a geological carbon capture and storage (CCS) site is also under consideration at Honorobe.