New round of decontamination

August 26, 2013

Govt. plans new round of radioactivity clean-up

http://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/english/news/20130826_18.html

Japan's Environment Ministry plans to conduct new decontamination work in areas where radiation levels have risen again following the accident at the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant.

Municipal governments and residents are demanding more clean-ups in areas where radiation levels have climbed following the initial decontamination.

The Environment Ministry originally said it would handle such matters on a case-by-case basis.

It now says it plans to re-clean sites where radiation levels are considerably higher than they were after the first round of cleaning, probably because of waste carried in rainwater and on fallen leaves.

It also says workers will return to sites where earlier decontamination efforts were incomplete.

The ministry says it plans to re-clean woodland areas within about 5 meters of residential zones. Workers removed tainted leaves from within 20 meters of homes in the first round of clean-ups. However, radiation levels remain high in some areas.

The ministry says it will seek the opinions of an expert panel on the plans on Tuesday.

Aug. 26, 2013 - Updated 04:51 UTC

Fukushima told of revision to decontamination plan

http://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/english/news/20130826_20.html

Japan's government has told Fukushima Prefecture it needs to revise its decontamination schedule for the evacuation zone around the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant.

The government has been overseeing the clean-up work to remove radioactive substances in 11 municipalities following the 2011 accident at the plant. The current target is to finish the work by the end of next March.

Senior Vice Environment Minister Shinji Inoue notified Fukushima Governor Yuhei Sato of changes in the plan during a meeting on Monday.

Inoue said a delay of decontamination operations in some municipalities made it necessary to revise the plan.

He said the ministry will announce a new timetable, along with measures to speed up the work.

Sato said the change was regrettable because it would force his prefecture and municipal governments to alter their own reconstruction plans, which depended on the plan. He urged Inoue not to make any further changes.

During the closed-door meeting, Inoue is believed to have told Sato that decontamination work for 7 of 11 municipalities will have to continue beyond the target deadline of March next year.

Inoue is also believed to have explained a plan to repeat clean-up procedures should radiation levels rise after initial decontamination due to rain or other factors.

After the meeting, Inoue apologized for a failure to stick to the schedule. He said the reconstruction and revival of affected areas cannot start without decontamination.

Inoue revealed his ministry will publicize the plans, including a realistic timetable for decontamination, on Friday.

Aug. 26, 2013 - Updated 07:44 UTC

Decontamination behind plan in 7 municipalities

http://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/english/news/20130826_17.html

Japanese government officials say efforts to cut radiation levels around the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant are behind schedule.

The Environment Ministry was aiming to decontaminate 11 municipalities around the plant by the end of next March. The plan did not include areas with extremely high radiation levels.

But officials now say the clean-up will take longer in Minamisoma City, Iitate Village and 5 other municipalities.

They say it is proving harder than expected to get approval from residents.

They also say a lack of storage space for contaminated soil is contributing to the delay.

The ministry says it now plans to finish decontaminating Iitate Village by the spring of 2015. But it is unable to provide new deadlines for the other municipalities.

The ministry says it will consult local authorities before announcing a new timetable by the end of the year.