Japanese prime minister's flower bed is filled with Fukushima soil

14 years after the disaster at the Fukushima nuclear power plant, the Japanese government wants to reuse the contaminated soil. According to a report in the Japanese daily newspaper Japan Times, the soil will be used to fill gardens in front of government buildings.

Among other things, the soil is to be used in flower beds in front of the office of Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba. The government intends to demonstrate that the radiation has subsided to such an extent that the soil can be used safely.

After the meltdown at the Fukushima nuclear power plant in March 2011, the contaminated soil in Fukushima Prefecture was excavated. Since then, over 14 million cubic meters of soil have been temporarily stored near the power plant.

The government wants to take the initiative and set precedents, quotes Japan Times government spokesman Yoshimasa Hayashi. The government plans to dispose of the soil contaminated by the nuclear accident by 2045.

IAEA approves the use of the soil

For example, it is to be used as a substructure for roads. The plans of the Ministry of the Environment stipulate that the contaminated soil should be covered with topsoil so thickly that the radiation is negligible. The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) has approved the project. Initial tests are already underway in Fukushima Prefecture.

However, the Japanese population is less convinced by the plans: protests by residents in several cities across the country, including in one district of Tokyo, prevented the removal of soil from Fukushima.

In 2023, nuclear power plant operator Tepco began discharging the treated cooling water from the stricken nuclear power plant into the sea. The IEAE has also approved the project, despite protests from environmentalists and neighboring countries. It is expected to take 30 years until the water contaminated with tritium has been completely dumped.

(wpl)