Japan to Expand Use of Fukushima Disaster-Affected Land

Fukushima, Japan/UNSPLASH/Tuan P

Japan will start using 6 cubic meters of soil taken during the Fukushima nuclear disaster cleanup to plant flowers at the Ministry of Defense and the Supreme Court in Tokyo.

Of the more than 14 million cubic meters of soil stored at temporary facilities in Fukushima Prefecture, soil with low radiation levels has been used at 10 locations, including the prime minister's office and several ministries, since July last year.

The plan for the use of land at the Ministry of Defense and the Supreme Court has not been determined in time.

The move is being sought as part of the government's efforts to show that some of the land moved is safe for use, and to find a final disposal site for the accumulated Fukushima nuclear power plant (NPP) land.

As reported by ANTARA from Kyodo, Environment Minister Hirotaka Ishihara told reporters that the government would seek a final disposal site outside Fukushima Prefecture.

Under the law, the land must be moved outside the prefecture by March 2045, but they are facing challenges in finding a disposal site.

Reconstruction Minister Takao Makino said he hoped the government could find a way to use the larger volume of soil that had been collected and expand its use to a number of areas.

As of the end of March, about 14.3 million cubic meters of soil had been brought to temporary storage facilities near the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant, which was damaged by the March 2011 earthquake and tsunami disaster.