Japan Press Weekly

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2023 September 13 - 19 [SOCIAL ISSUES]

Tokyo residents urge gov’t not to conduct test on reuse of contaminated Fukushima soil in Shinjuku Gyoen Park

Together with Japanese Communist Party lawmakers, a group of concerned residents in Tokyo’s Shinjuku Ward on September 14 made representations to the Environment Ministry, calling on the ministry not to conduct a test on the reuse of contaminated soil from the 2011 Fukushima nuclear disaster in Shinjuku Gyoen National Garden, one of the most famous parks in Tokyo, without obtaining local consent.

JCP member of the House of Representatives Kasai Akira and the JCP Shinjuku Ward Assemblypersons’ group joined in this action.

In the representations, the residents’ group cited the fact that former Environment Minister Nishimura Akihiro in a Diet debate stated that the ministry will not push ahead with the test without gaining local consent. The group pointed out that until now, the ministry held an information session for residents only once, in December 2022, with a limited number of participants, and asked if the ministry intends to offer additional briefing sessions.

A ministry official gave no clear response to the residents’ group, while saying that the ministry will not forcibly conduct the test.

Kasai demanded the cancellation of the planned test.

Past related article:
> Gov’t plan to reuse contaminated soil from Fukushima for Tokyo park needs thorough explanation [December 18, 2022]