Japan to pick final disposal sites for crippled nuclear plant soil by 2030

ISTANBUL

Japan plans to decide by 2030 where to finally dispose of radioactive Fukushima soil removed during the decontamination process following the 2011 nuclear disaster, local media reported on Wednesday.

The plan chalked out by the country's Environment Ministry aims to dispose of all irradiated soil in Fukushima prefecture by March 2045, local English daily The Japan Times reported.

The plan, which was reportedly presented by the ministry in a panel, includes a process for selecting sites for the disposal of irradiated soil from fiscal 2025.

By the end of December 2024, approximately 14 million cubic meters of such soil had been transferred to a storage facility in Fukushima Prefecture.

Three-quarters of the soil had radiation levels of 8,000 becquerels per kilogram or lower and will be repurposed for public works, while the remaining soil will be disposed of permanently.

Final disposal sites are expected to need up to 50 hectares if the soil volume remains unchanged, or 2 to 3 hectares if the volume is reduced. However, the radiation levels would be higher in the soil that has been reduced.

The Fukushima nuclear power plant was damaged when a magnitude 9 earthquake, followed by a tsunami, struck Japan in 2011, which resulted in the nuclear disaster.