Japan to Reuse Fukushima Soil in Regional Cities

Tokyo, Aug. 25 (Jiji Press)–The Japanese government decided Tuesday to begin the reuse of soil generated from decontamination work following the 2011 accident at Tokyo Electric Power Company Holdings Inc.’s Fukushima No. 1 nuclear power plant in regional cities. At a meeting at the prime minister’s office in Tokyo, the government decided to begin the soil reuse program at an early date for flowerbeds at buildings in Sendai in Miyagi Prefecture, northeastern Japan, and the city of Saitama, north of Tokyo, where central government branch offices are located. It will be the first time for the soil from decontamination work to be used outside Tokyo, except for its use in demonstration projects in Fukushima Prefecture, home to the TEPCO plant, which suffered a triple meltdown following the massive earthquake and tsunami that mainly struck northeastern Japan in March 2011. Chief Cabinet Secretary Minoru Kihara said at the meeting that the reuse of soil from decontamination work will be key to achieving the government’s goal of completing the final disposal of the soil outside Fukushima by March 2045. Kihara urged attendees to expand the reuse of the soil to regional branch offices in other cities and strengthen public communication about its safety. Currently, about 14 million cubic meters of the soil are stored at interim facilities in the Fukushima towns of Okuma and Futaba, which host the TEPCO plant. The government plans to reuse roughly three-quarters of the soil, which has relatively low radiation levels, in public works projects. In order to promote public understanding of the initiative, the government has reused the soil at the prime minister’s office and 12 central government office buildings in Tokyo since last year. END [Copyright The Jiji Press, Ltd.]