Japan to expand reuse of Fukushima disaster soil at government buildings

TOKYO (Kyodo) -- Japan will begin using 6 cubic meters of soil removed during cleanup after the Fukushima nuclear disaster in flowerbeds at the Defense Ministry and the Supreme Court in Tokyo, the environment minister said Tuesday.

Out of more than 14 million cubic meters of such soil stored at an interim facility in Fukushima Prefecture, soil with low-level radiation has already been used at 10 sites, including the premises of the prime minister's office and some ministries, since July last year.

The planned use of soil at the Defense Ministry and the Supreme Court, the timing of which has not yet been decided, is part of the government's effort to demonstrate that some of the removed soil is safe for use and to seek final disposal sites for the accumulated waste.

Environment Minister Hirotaka Ishihara told reporters the government will work to find final disposal sites outside Fukushima Prefecture.

The soil must be moved outside the prefecture by March 2045 under the law, but little progress has been made in finding disposal sites.

Reconstruction minister Takao Makino said he hopes the government can find ways to use larger volumes of removed soil and expand its use to regional areas.

As of the end of March, about 14.3 million cubic meters of soil had been brought into interim storage facilities near the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant damaged by the March 2011 earthquake and tsunami disaster.