Japan Cabinet to Discuss Disposal of Fukushima Soil; Government Plans to Expand Scope of Ministries Involved

Yomiuri Shimbun file photo
An interim storage facility where the soil removed from decontaminated site is temporarily stored in Okuma, Fukushima Prefecture, in March 2023

The Yomiuri Shimbun

7:00 JST, December 5, 2024

The government plans to convene a meeting of all Cabinet ministers this month to discuss concrete measures for handling the soil removed from decontaminated sites related to the 2011 accident at the Fukushima No. 1 nuclear power plant, according to government sources.

The final disposal outside Fukushima Prefecture of the soil is supposed to take place by 2045. Issues such as finding a place to accept the soil have been raised, so the government aims to speed up the process by working across ministry lines, the sources said.