Proposals to clear up no-entry zones

July 31, 2014

Coalition parties form recovery proposals

Jul. 31, 2014 - Updated 21:55 UTC+2

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

Members of parties in Japan's ruling coalition want the government to do more to get people from no-entry zones around the crippled Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant back to their homes within 5 years.

They have a new set of proposals on clearing up problems in the zones. The package is the fourth by a working group of the main governing Liberal Democratic Party and its junior coalition partner New Komeito.

The documents say it is important for the central government to take the initiative in bringing Fukushima Prefecture back from the 2011 nuclear accident.

The legislators urge the central government to quickly and steadily decommission reactors at the Fukushima plant and dispose of radioactive water at the site.

They also demand speedy decontamination of areas around the plant and swift establishment of intermediate facilities to store radioactive soil and other contaminated material.

The lawmakers referred to the no-go zones of relatively high radiation levels. They call for the central, prefectural, and municipal authorities to cooperate to create a restoration plan and intensively proceed with decontamination efforts.

They say the authorities should work to allow evacuees from no-entry zones to return home within 5 years and resume their lives there.

The lawmakers also propose a quick study of joint rescue and recovery drills by personnel from the Self-Defense Forces, coast guard, police, and firefighters under an envisioned emergency situations agency.

They say the exercises are necessary to implement appropriate initial responses to disasters as serious as the March 2011 earthquake and tsunami.

Both parties plan to submit the new proposals to Prime Minister Shinzo Abe in the near future.