Overview

• On July 19, the Environment Ministry moved 20,000 cubic meters of decontaminated soil from Fukushima storage facilities to form a 60-centimeter layer beneath the Prime Minister’s Office lawn in Tokyo—marking the first use of the material outside Fukushima prefecture.
• The relocated earth will be topped with a layer of clean topsoil and undergo regular radiation monitoring to validate safety standards endorsed by the International Atomic Energy Agency.
• Under current regulations, only soil with cesium levels below 8,000 becquerels per kilogram can be reused in infrastructure projects; about 75 percent of the 14.1 million cubic meters stored qualifies under this threshold.
• Officials highlight that most stored Fukushima soil emits radiation equivalent to or less than a single medical X-ray per year for those working with or standing on it.
• Central government officials are spearheading the demonstration to overcome local opposition to soil relocation and reinforce public trust ahead of imminent upper‐house elections.