Reuse of soil from Fukushima decontamination begins in Sendai
Japan's Environment Ministry on Saturday (August 29) began reusing decontamination soil from the 2011 Fukushima nuclear disaster in Sendai, Miyagi Prefecture.
The project is the first such reuse outside Tokyo, apart from trials in Fukushima Prefecture. The prefecture in northeastern Japan hosts the plant operated by Tokyo Electric Power Company Holdings Inc. that suffered a triple meltdown after a massive earthquake and tsunami in March 2011.
The ministry brought about 1 cubic metre of soil to a flower bed at a government office complex in Sendai's Aoba Ward on Saturday morning.
The government decided Tuesday to begin reuse projects early at government office complexes housing regional agencies of the central government in the city of Saitama, north of Tokyo, as well as Sendai.
About 14 million cubic metres of the soil is stored at interim storage facilities in the Fukushima Prefecture towns of Okuma and Futaba, home to the nuclear power plant.
The government plans to reuse about three-quarters of it, consisting of soil with low radiation levels, in public works and other projects.
It has already begun reuse projects at the prime minister's office and central government ministries in Tokyo as part of efforts to build public understanding of the plan.
[Copyright The Jiji Press, Ltd.]
