Overview
- Dozens of sacks of lightly radioactive soil from the Fukushima Daiichi site arrived by truck at Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba’s official residence in central Tokyo.
- Authorities say the earth was decontaminated using IAEA-approved methods that keep radiation exposure within annual X-ray equivalent limits.
- Officials plan to incorporate the soil into the lawn foundation and as fill for flowerbeds in the residence’s garden.
- Since the 2011 tsunami and reactor meltdowns, roughly 14 million cubic meters of contaminated topsoil have been stored near Fukushima with a relocation deadline set for 2045.
- Persistent refusal by most prefectures to host the stockpiled earth has driven the government’s high-profile safety demonstrations.