Governor urges contaminated soil be disposed of outside Fukushima by 2045
Soil from radiation decontamination work after the 2011 nuclear reactor meltdowns in Fukushima Prefecture should be disposed of outside the prefecture by the deadline set by law, Fukushima Gov. Masao Uchibori said in a recent interview.
A law stipulates that all such soil must be disposed of outside Fukushima by March 2045.
"The final disposal must be completed within 20 years, no matter whether the soil is reused (within Fukushima) or not," the governor said.
However, Shiro Izawa, the mayor of Futaba — one of the towns hosting Tokyo Electric Power Company Holdings' crippled Fukushima No. 1 plant — said lasts month that soil from radiation decontamination work should be reused in Fukushima. The mayor said this was his personal opinion.
Uchibori pointed out the heavy burden placed on Futaba and the neighboring town of Okuma for accepting interim storage facilities for soil from decontamination work.
"We will urge the central government to clarify and accelerate the actual plan and the process toward final disposal," he said.
With the second-phase of the reconstruction period following the March 11, 2011, Great East Japan Earthquake and tsunami coming to an end in fiscal 2025, the autumn review session for national programs last year argued for a revision of the Reconstruction Agency's subsidies for rebuilding Fukushima.
"From this, I feel that people are forgetting" the earthquake and the subsequent nuclear accident, Uchibori said.
The governor also said that the next five years will be important for encouraging the return of evacuated residents.
"Reflecting on the current situation in Fukushima, the central government promised to secure financial resources for the prefecture," he added.
The reconstruction of Fukushima has advanced at a steady pace, Uchibori said.
However, he noted challenges in improving health care, nursing care and education, as well as providing enough job opportunities.
"After careful consideration of the opinions of local municipalities, we will work on creating an environment to which residents can return with peace of mind," the governor said.
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