Overview

• The soil, removed after the 2011 Fukushima Daiichi disaster and stored near Okuma and Futaba, carries up to 8,000 becquerels per kilogram of cesium.
• Plans call for using it as foundation in flower beds at Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba’s office and other ministry grounds, safely covered by a thick layer of topsoil.
• Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshimasa Hayashi said the government will set a precedent and release a detailed roadmap this summer to guide soil transport and reuse and build public understanding.
• The International Atomic Energy Agency’s final report confirmed Japan’s recycling and disposal guidelines meet international safety standards.
• Under a legal mandate to dispose of contaminated soil outside Fukushima Prefecture by March 2045, officials are seeking permanent sites for the remaining volume.