Japan considers expanding reuse of decontaminated soil from Fukushima

Japan's Environment Minister Ishihara stated after a Cabinet meeting on September 1 that the government is considering and coordinating efforts to continue the decontaminated soil reuse project from Fukushima Prefecture at government offices and other locations in other regions, in order to raise public awareness of the relevant systems and safety management approaches.

Following the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Station accident, large volumes of soil removed during decontamination operations in Fukushima Prefecture are currently stored at an interim storage facility within the prefecture. Under Japanese law, this soil must be finally disposed of outside the prefecture by March 2045. To reduce the volume of final disposal, the Japanese government is promoting the reuse of decontaminated soil with lower radiation levels.

Late last month, construction work was carried out at national government joint office buildings in Sendai City and Saitama City, with soil for flower beds and other areas delivered to the sites. This marked the first time decontaminated soil was reused at such government facilities outside the Tokyo region.

Under current reuse standards, soil with radioactive cesium concentrations below 8,000 becquerels per kilogram can be used. Japan's Ministry of the Environment (MOE) stated that the soil used in this project had a radioactive cesium concentration of approximately 4,000 becquerels per kilogram, and ordinary soil was placed on top during construction to prevent the spread of radioactive materials.

After the construction was completed, radiation dose rates measured at a height of 1 meter above ground were 0.06 microsieverts per hour at the Sendai joint office building and 0.08 microsieverts per hour at the Saitama joint office building. Japanese authorities assessed that these levels pose no impact on human health.

Regarding objections raised by some residents in Sendai and Saitama during the construction period, Ishihara stated that the Ministry of the Environment had previously held seven briefing sessions, including explanatory activities in Sendai and Saitama, and would continue to promote dialogue to enhance public understanding of decontaminated soil reuse.