Takaichi Inspects Crippled Fukushima Nuclear Plant

Fukushima, Dec. 2 (Jiji Press)–Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi on Tuesday inspected Tokyo Electric Power Company Holdings Inc.’s disaster-stricken Fukushima No. 1 nuclear power plant in Fukushima Prefecture. Takaichi visited the northeastern prefecture for the first time since taking office in October, apparently hoping to demonstrate her administration’s commitment to rebuilding areas affected by the March 2011 earthquake, tsunami and nuclear disaster. During her visit to the nuclear plant, which straddles the towns of Okuma and Futaba, the prime minister received a briefing about the progress of the decommissioning work, ahead of the 15th anniversary next March of the tsunami-triggered meltdown accident there. Takaichi also inspected an interim storage facility for soil from radiation decontamination work. As the government has decided to finally dispose of the removed soil outside Fukushima by March 2045, she expressed her intention to expand the reuse of the soil nationwide. Later in the day, Takaichi visited a district of Futaba designated as a so-called difficult-to-return zone following the nuclear disaster. Futaba Mayor Shiro Izawa told Takaichi about new safety concerns arising from wild bears and boars appearing in overgrown, abandoned farmland. He also explained the complete lack of progress in decontaminating reservoirs, which are essential for restarting agriculture. END [Copyright The Jiji Press, Ltd.]