Latest news with #FukushimaDaiichi
South China Morning Post
3 days ago
- General
- South China Morning Post
Radioactive Fukushima soil sent to Japanese PM's office in bid to ease radiation fears
Dozens of bags of mildly radioactive soil collected from near the stricken Fukushima nuclear plant were delivered on Saturday to the Japanese prime minister's office, in an effort to show it is safe for reuse. Soon after the March 2011 tsunami and nuclear disaster, authorities scraped a layer of contaminated soil from swathes of land in Fukushima to reduce radiation levels. A vast quantity of soil – 14 million cubic metres – has since been stored at facilities near the Fukushima Daiichi plant, with the government setting a 2045 deadline for its transfer elsewhere in the country. Most of the stored soil contains low levels of radiation equivalent to or less than one X-ray per year for people who directly stand on or work with it, the environment ministry said. The government is desperate to set people's minds at ease about recycling the decontaminated soil, enough to fill 11 baseball stadiums. Officials have pledged to find final disposal sites outside Fukushima by 2045. A bag of slightly radioactive but decontaminated soil from Fukushima, is delivered to the Japanese prime minister's office on Saturday. Photo: AP
NHK
4 days ago
- Politics
- NHK
Low-level radioactive soil in Fukushima arrives at PM's office grounds for reuse
The first batch of soil removed for decontamination after the 2011 nuclear accident at the Fukushima Daiichi plant has arrived at the grounds of the Prime Minister's Office in Tokyo for the first reuse in the country. Bags of soil were unloaded from a 10-ton truck onto the front yard of the office on Saturday morning. The soil had been stored at an intermediate storage facility in Fukushima Prefecture. By law, soil removed during decontamination work in Fukushima Prefecture shall be disposed outside the prefecture by 2045 after an interim storage. The government plans to use low-level radioactive soil for public works and other projects to reduce the volume for final disposal as much as possible. This is the first case of reuse in the nation except of the use in a demonstrative project in Fukushima Prefecture. Two cubic meters of soil will be buried at the depth of 60 centimeters in the front yard. It will be overlaid by a layer of regular soil that is at least 20 centimeters thick. The work is to take two days through Sunday. As of March this year, 14-million cubic meters of soil was stored at the interim storage facility. The government standard for reuse sets a limit of 8,000 becquerels of radioactive cesium per kilogram of soil. The limit was set so that additional radiation doses to workers and residents near the soil will not exceed 1 millisievert per year, the international standard for the allowable dose to the public. The radioactive cesium concentration in the soil being buried is 6,400 becquerels per kilogram, within the government's reuse standard. The Environment Ministry will measure radioactive levels around the yard once a week or so and publish them on its official website. Ministry officials say they hope the first case of reuse will help enhance public acceptance of the removed soil.
Arab News
4 days ago
- Politics
- Arab News
Slightly radioactive Fukushima soil is used at Japanese prime minister's office to prove safety
TOKYO: Decontaminated but slightly radioactive soil from Fukushima was delivered Saturday to the Japanese prime minister's office to be reused in an effort to showcase its safety. This is the first soil to be used, aside from experiments, since the 2011 nuclear disaster when the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant suffered a cataclysmic meltdown following an earthquake and tsunami that left large amounts of radioactive materials spewing out from the facility, polluting surrounding areas. The government is desperate to set people's minds at ease about recycling the 14 million cubic meters of decontaminated soil, enough to fill 11 baseball stadiums, collected after massive clean-ups and stored at a sprawling outdoor facility near the Fukushima plant. Officials have pledged to find final disposal sites by 2045. The Environment Ministry said the 2 cubic meters, now at Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba's office complex in Tokyo, will be used as foundation material in one section of the lawn garden, based on the ministry's safety guidelines endorsed by the International Atomic Energy Agency. The soil does not include any from inside the plant. Despite assurances, there has been much public unease. The government has already been forced to scrap a plan to experiment using some of the soil in flower beds at several public parks in and around Tokyo following protests.
Yahoo
4 days ago
- Politics
- Yahoo
Slightly radioactive Fukushima soil is used at Japanese prime minister's office to prove safety
Japan Fukushima Soil TOKYO (AP) — Decontaminated but slightly radioactive soil from Fukushima was delivered Saturday to the Japanese prime minister's office to be reused in an effort to showcase its safety. This is the first soil to be used, aside from experiments, since the 2011 nuclear disaster when the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant suffered a cataclysmic meltdown following an earthquake and tsunami that left large amounts of radioactive materials spewing out from the facility, polluting surrounding areas. The government is desperate to set people's minds at ease about recycling the 14 million cubic meters of decontaminated soil, enough to fill 11 baseball stadiums, collected after massive clean-ups and stored at a sprawling outdoor facility near the Fukushima plant. Officials have pledged to find final disposal sites outside of Fukushima by 2045. The Environment Ministry said the 2 cubic meters, now at Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba's office complex in Tokyo, will be used as foundation material in one section of the lawn garden, based on the ministry's safety guidelines endorsed by the International Atomic Energy Agency. The soil does not include any from inside the plant. Despite assurances, there has been much public unease. The government has already been forced to scrap a plan to experiment using some of the soil in flower beds at several public parks in and around Tokyo following protests. Solve the daily Crossword
The Sun
4 days ago
- Politics
- The Sun
Fukushima radioactive soil delivered to Japan PM office as safety demo
TOKYO: Bags of mildly radioactive soil from near the Fukushima nuclear plant were delivered to the Japanese prime minister's office on Saturday in a government-led demonstration of its safety for reuse. The move comes as authorities seek to address public concerns over the stored contaminated soil, with 14 million cubic metres still kept near the Fukushima Daiichi plant since the 2011 disaster. The environment ministry stated the soil contains radiation levels equivalent to or less than one X-ray per year for those directly handling it. 'Most of the stored soil poses minimal risk, but public perception remains a challenge,' a ministry official explained. The soil will be used in flower beds at the PM's office, covered by a 20-centimetre layer of ordinary soil to further minimise exposure. The delivery coincides with upper house elections, where polls suggest Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba's coalition may lose its majority. Political analysts note the timing may be an attempt to reassure voters, though skepticism persists. 'Reusing this soil requires transparency and trust, which are still lacking,' said environmental policy expert Dr. Keiko Tanaka. - AFP
