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The Environment Ministry will reconsider the proposed sites of for two radioactive waste dumps, after the previous designation provoked strong resistance from local residents.
Last September, the Democratic Party of Japan (DPJ)-led government selected Takahagi City in northern Ibaraki Prefecture and Yaita in Tochigi Prefecture as storage sites for radioactive waste from Fukushima Prefecture. Officials of both towns expressed shock and anger at the time, saying they had received no prior notice and there had been no consultation.
The plan was to transport ash from burned debris and mud removed from ditches in the no-go zone around the stricken Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant, an Environment Ministry official said. He said about 1,700 tons of waste containing radioactive cesium of over 8,000 becquerels per kilogram would be stored in the area.
However, since the decision was made, anger among local residents in both areas has increase. On Monday, Senior Vice Environment Minister Shinji Inoue admitted that there had been a problem with the selection method used by the government, TBS reported. Inoue said he had visited the prefectural government of Tochigi and the local authorities in Yaita over the weekend to inform them that the proposal had been shelved.
The decision is likely to slow recovery work in Fukushima since new storage sites will have to be found for radioactive debris.
© Japan Today
20 Comments
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hereforever
Two years on and still talking about this? Talk about a country that can't make decisions. It's easy. Dump it on the land owned by TEPCO that can't be inhabited for the next 50 years. Let them sort it all out. Why spread the contamination around the country?
Alex Roncelli
I'm reading the comments and they're all dissing nuclear energy. It seems rapid growth came before common sense zoning regulation/ oversight. Nuclear waste, in my opinion, shouldn't be stored or kept on Earth, but launched into space. If Earth has the audacity to keep tens of thousands of dangerous futile obsolete satellites orbiting around, we should have no problem launching well equipped capsules full of nuclear waste four galaxies over, if not be destroyed by space.
Elbuda Mexicano
Stupid to spread this nuclear waste crap out of Fuksushima! The people of Fukushima knew long ago the RISKS of allowing a nuke plant in their prefecture, they threw the dice and now its craps.
EngrHassanSabi
The price of nuclear energy is looking for a place to dump all the waste. Why not just leave the waste in the no go zone? after all, it IS called a no go zone.
Ranger_Miffy2
Keep it in eastern Fukushima. Above the tsunami line. That is the only rational answer. Do NOT give it me in Tokyo or anyone anywhere else. Sorry, but game over for higashi Fukushima.
Jan Claudius Weirauch
Prime Ministers office...
Senkaku is a bad place, lots of nice environment there to bad to be wrecked.
shimonetadaisuki
Why store it within the 20km contamination zone when you can ship it out, spread it around and share the contamination with every one?
On a more serious note; sending it to the sun, as nice as it sounds, is not practical, there is way too much waste and the costs would be astronomical.
bruinfan
The best solution for now is to turn some of the no go zone in Fukushima into a storage location. Compensate the people for the land ( it isn't good for much else now anyways).
smithinjapan
"The decision is likely to slow recovery work in Fukushima since new storage sites will have to be found for radioactive debris."
Awwww.... let's all feel sorry and look for the nation to hold hands in covering up the ineptitude of companies that have no business doing what they do, and getting off Scot-free when problems arise. Here's a suggestion that is actually worth-while: take all the toxic ash and waste and dump it in with the politicians in the cities of Fushima. Since there is no health problem, what would the politicians care?
cleo
And have it spewed sky-high and over hundreds of square miles of land at the next eruption?
hkitagawa
I have an idea: Senkaku is a good place :)
cramp
dump it into a volcano?
Eppee
Alex RoncelliFeb. 26, 2013 - 02:47PM JST "Nuclear waste should be launched into the sun via rocket." Yeah and when you have a problem with your rocket you spread the waste all over the country, could be fun.
sidesmile
Senkaku islands?
Onniyama
No one is ever going to live there again anyway.
Alex Roncelli
Nuclear waste should be launched into the sun via rocket.
SauloJpn
Is this surprising at all??? Who and how these cities decided that in the first place?
Probie
Why do they have to spread it all over the country?
Why don't they just keep it in the no-go zone??
Disillusioned
Yeah, what's the bet most of these people objecting to nuclear waste dumps in their prefecture voted in favor of nuclear power and the Abe government? So, the bottom line is, most people are happy to have nuclear power as long as it is not in their backyard. When will people realize that, the disadvantages of nuclear power are far greater than the advantages? Yeah, it is cheap to produce, but consider the cost and the impact on the environment and the people when things go wrong. It is far greater than the savings. Nuclear power only supplies a third of Japan's needs, so why is it so important to keep? these people voted for it, so they can suck it up!
kurisupisu
This is exactly why nuclear power should be phased out. There isn't anywhere in Japan to store nuclear contaminated waste that is safe enough nor far away enough.
However, in the interim tonnes and tonnes of waste is sitting around ready to seep out from inadequate containment?