Law approved on transferring waste in 30 years

 November 19, 2014

Diet approves Fukushima waste disposal bill

http://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/english/news/nuclear.html

Nov. 19, 2014 - Updated 08:16 UTC+1

Japan's Diet has enacted a law on transferring radioactive soil and other stored waste out of Fukushima Prefecture for final disposal within 30 years.

The government plans to have the waste from decontamination work stored at intermediate facilities to be built in Futaba and Okuma towns, near the disabled Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant.

An Upper House plenary session on Wednesday approved by a majority a revision to an existing law. The revision allows a state-owned company that deals with disposal of a toxic substance called polychlorinated biphenyl, or PCB, to engage in business related to the storage facilities.

The revised law obliges the government to ensure that the waste is safely stored and moved to a final disposal site outside the prefecture within 30 years. The revision came in response to a demand from the communities that are to host the temporary facilities.

It also calls on the government to develop final disposal methods by studying new technologies that might lower the concentration of radioactive substances in soil and allow reuse of the waste.

Environment Minister Yoshio Mochiduki welcomed the move, saying it will help speed up reconstruction in Fukushima.

The government hopes to begin transporting the waste to the facilities in January. But it's not clear whether the plan can be put into action, as negotiations with landowners over acquiring their property to build the facilities is progressing slowly.