Japan Press Weekly

Tweet

2012 September 19 - 25 [NUCLEAR CRISIS]

Clean-up of radioactivity slow in Fukushima

Decontamination work of radioactivity has made little progress even one year and a half after the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear disaster.

The national government has started the clean-up in only one city out of 11 municipalities such as Futaba Town, Namie Town, and Iitate Village, of which the state takes responsibility for the decontamination in Fukushima Prefecture. On the other hand, local governments have just finished the decontamination in 14 districts out of 41 in the prefecture, for which they are responsible.

One of the causes of the delay is the difficulty of securing temporary sites for the radioactive contaminated soil, especially in congested areas. Some people in Fukushima City have left the soil untouched within their residential lots.

The house yard of Ota Miyoko, 67, has no space other than for her car because of a “mountain” of contaminated soil covered by blue sheeting. Miyoko’s mother-in-law said, “I cannot even invite neighbors passing by into our house.”

Another reason is that it takes a long time for the central and local governments to reach an agreement on how to proceed with the cleanup.

A fund financed by the state is supposed to grant subsidies to municipalities to do decontamination work. If the cost exceeds the amount of money fixed according to types of cleanup, local authorities need to consult with the environment ministry. “We have conferred with the ministry on the matter for over half a year, but the government has yet to reply to us,” said an official of Fukushima City.

The nuclear accident was brought about by Tokyo Electric Power Company operating the Fukushima plant and the national government that has promoted nuclear energy policy for a long time. Both TEPCO and the government should take responsibility for the decontamination.