15 Years On: Govt to Show Safety of Soil from Decontamination

Tokyo, March 9 (Jiji Press)–The Japanese government needs to show the safety of soil from decontamination work after the 2011 nuclear accident in Fukushima Prefecture, postdisaster reconstruction minister Takao Makino has said. The government will promote the reuse of the soil with low levels of radioactivity, which was collected through decontamination of areas polluted by the triple meltdown at Tokyo Electric Power Company Holdings Inc.’s Fukushima No. 1 nuclear power plant in northeastern Japan, he said in an interview ahead of Wednesday, the 15th anniversary of the March 2011 earthquake and tsunami, which triggered the nuclear accident. Asked how to realize the final disposal of such soil, now kept at interim storage in Fukushima, outside the prefecture, Makino said, “We’ll strive to let people know that this is an issue that concerns the whole country,” so that the soil will be accepted across the country. “We must use the soil first and show that it’s safe,” he added, expressing a wish to promote the use of the soil including at regional offices of central government agencies. On the outlook for lifting evacuation orders in so-called difficult-to-return zones in Fukushima, where entry is strictly restricted due to intense radiation, Makino said, “We’re carrying out decontamination and improving the living environment there.” He said that the government plans to lift the orders gradually. Makino also discussed what are necessary to achieve the full reconstruction of the northeastern prefectures of Iwate and Miyagi, also hit hard by the quake and tsunami disaster. “The national government needs to look after the mental health of people affected by the disaster, while the reconstruction of infrastructure including roads, railways, harbors and fishing ports is almost complete,” he said. Makino also mentioned a plan to hold symposiums to share lessons from the 2011 disaster with other areas such as the Noto Peninsula, which was hit by a powerful quake in 2024. “The Reconstruction Agency has supported affected areas through public-private collaboration, serving as a one-stop contact point,” he said. “We want to utilize that know-how on restoration and reconstruction” at the disaster management agency to be established within this year, he continued. END [Copyright The Jiji Press, Ltd.]