Abstract
As a result of the accident at TEPCO’s Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Station (NPS) 11 years ago, large amounts of radioactive substances have been released into the environment, causing a case of concerning environmental pollution. The Ministry of the Environment (MOE) has taken initiatives; making efforts to conduct decontamination and disposal of the contaminated waste in order to transport the removed soil and contaminated waste (exceeding 100000 Bq/kg) to an Interim Storage Facility (ISF). Under the law, final disposal of the removed soil and other materials outside Fukushima Prefecture must be completed within a span of 30 years from the start of transportation to the ISF. In order to complete final disposal of removed soil and other materials to areas outside of Fukushima within this designated time frame, the final disposal volume must be drastically reduced and the MOE is therefore implementing development of a volume-reduction technology as well as a demonstration project for recycling. The results of the demonstration project are being discussed publicly. The MOE has begun presenting feasible options for sufficient areas and structures for final disposal sites, along with developing core technologies with FY2024 being the strategic target date. Research, examination, and arrangement of the final disposal site will start after FY2025. It is absolutely necessary that final disposal of the removed soil and waste that is being transported to the ISF outside Fukushima Prefecture is actualized.
