Japan Press Weekly

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2022 December 14 - 20 TOP3 [SOCIAL ISSUES]

Gov’t plan to reuse contaminated soil from Fukushima for Tokyo park needs thorough explanation

Japanese Communist Party member of the House of Representatives Kasai Akira on December 16 at a hearing with the Environment Ministry demanded that the ministry not force a test on the reuse of the soil contaminated from the 2011 Fukushima nuclear disaster for flowerbeds in Shinjuku Gyoen National Garden, one of the most famous parks in Tokyo.

Kasai pointed out that there is no legislation regarding the reuse of radioactive soil generated through the process of decontamination work in Fukushima Prefecture, and that the soil’s safety has yet to be determined. He said, “It is unacceptable for the ministry to push forward with the test without giving information to residents living near Shinjuku Gyoen.”

The ministry will hold a briefing session on this matter on December 21. However, the ministry announced this event by putting copies of a notice on community bulletin boards in areas around the Gyoen park, and the number of participants will be limited to only 50 local residents.

JCP Tokyo Metropolitan Assemblyperson Oyama Tomoko, whose constituency is Shinjuku, and the JCP Shinjuku Ward Assemblypersons’ group also attended the hearing and demanded, “The ministry should organize explanatory meetings in as many places as possible in Tokyo,” and “Presumably, the ministry plans to conduct similar tests at parks in other prefectures. Diet discussion on this matter is a must.”

A ministry official replied that the ministry will hold a discussion with the Shinjuku Ward government based on these demands.