information about Fukushima published in English in Japanese media info publiée en anglais dans la presse japonaise
22 Août 2012
August 21, 2012
At a meeting with local governments, Environment Minister Goshi Hosono proposed 12 possible sites in Fukushima Prefecture for interim storage facilities to house soil and other waste contaminated by radioactive substances released by the Fukushima No. 1 nuclear power plant.
During Sunday's meeting of representatives of the central government, the Fukushima prefectural government and eight municipalities in the prefecture, Hosono said the central government plans to build the facilities at 12 locations in three towns--Futaba, Okuma and Naraha.
The central government originally planned to build just one large facility in each of the three towns. But after surveying seismic faults in the region, the government decided it would be better to disperse the facilities by building smaller ones across a wider area.
Upon gaining approval from local governments, the ministry will start conducting measurements and on-site surveys.
The local governments said Sunday they need a few days to study the government's proposal.
The government wants to build two facilities in Futaba, nine in Okuma and one in Naraha.
A maximum of about 28 million cubic meters of contaminated soil will be put in special containers and taken to the sites from January 2015, according to the plan.
During the meeting, Hosono said contaminated soil from areas with higher radiation would not be carried to areas where radiation was lower.
Fukushima Gov. Yuhei Sato reportedly told Hosono that various factors of the plan will be discussed by the local governments' working-level officials.
Meanwhile, the local governments are expected to face difficulties in forming a consensus about the facilities' construction.
"I can't understand [the central government's proposal]. It's ridiculous [for the government] to proceed with the survey," Futaba Mayor Katsutaka Idogawa said.
He complained that the government did not refer to the final disposal sites of permanent burial.
"We won't discuss [the construction] without preconditions that [the contaminated soil] will definitely be taken [outside the prefecture]," he said.
Under the central government's plan, interim storage facilities will not store contaminated soil for more than 30 years. But the government has not made any decision about final disposal sites.
Okuma Mayor Toshitsuna Watanabe demanded the central government provide more details about the storage facilities' safety after learning of the plans to build nine interim facilities in his town, sources said.
"I feel that the number is large. It may be a step forward, but we're still on the starting line," he said after the meeting. "It's not good if [the government] turns away at the door before discussions begin."
Naraha Mayor Yukiei Matsumoto opposed bringing soil contaminated with high levels of radiation into his town.
"Our town will store soil that was contaminated in our town. We firmly oppose bringing in highly contaminated soil from outside our town," he said. "There is a big difference in mentality between the local and the central governments."
During the meeting, Hosono outlined where the soil to be stored at the interim facilities will come from.
The government plans to bring contaminated soil from eight municipalities including Iitate, which is located in Futaba's north, to the facilities that will be built in the town.
Soil from Hirono and Iwaki will be taken to the facility in Naraha. Hirono and Iwaki are located in Naraha's south.
The prefecture's remaining contaminated soil will go to Okuma.
Some local governments that will not host the interim storage facilities are strongly urging the central government to begin construction earlier.
Full-fledged decontamination operations have started in Fukushima, and the municipal government is having difficulty securing temporary sites to store contaminated soil.
Before Sunday's meeting, Fukushima Mayor Takanori Seto met Tatsuo Hirano, state minister in charge of reconstruction from the Great East Japan Earthquake, and urged him to build interim storage facilities earlier.
"The issue of interim storage facilities is closely linked to temporary storage sites and decontamination," Seto said.
A senior ministry official expressed relief that the government was finally taking a step forward on the issue.
"All of us understand the need [for the facilities]," the official said.
"We want the local governments to discuss this as a matter concerning the whole prefecture. We want them to throw the ball back to us on this issue," he said.
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