UN nuclear chief to view soil removed from Fukushima

TOKYO - The UN nuclear watchdog chief arrived in Japan on Feb 18 for a trip that will include his first visit to storage facilities for vast quantities of soil contaminated in the 2011 Fukushima disaster.

It is the fifth official visit to the country by Mr Rafael Grossi, head of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA).

The organisation is monitoring the decades-long process to decommission the Fukushima Daiichi plant, which went into meltdown after being hit by a tsunami in the worst nuclear disaster since Chernobyl.

Workers at the wrecked plant on Japan’s north-east coast last week began dismantling wastewater tanks to free up space for tonnes of radioactive debris.

Mr Grossi will tour the site on Feb 19 and will also be shown the stored soil that the authorities must decide how to handle.

As part of decontamination efforts after the disaster, about 13 million cubic metres of soil was removed from the wider Fukushima region along with about 300,000 cubic metres of ash from the incineration of organic material.

For comparison, the Tokyo Dome arena, where US pop superstar Taylor Swift performed in 2024, has a capacity of 1.24 million cubic metres.

The soil is being kept at interim storage facilities, over a total area of 16 sq km.

Japan plans to recycle roughly 75 per cent of the removed soil – the portion found to have low radioactivity levels.

If this material is confirmed safe, the government wants to use it for building embankments for roads and railways, among other projects.

The remaining soil will be disposed of outside the Fukushima region ahead of a 2045 deadline.

The government has said it intends to confirm the disposal site in 2025, with Fukushima’s regional governor reportedly urging them to come up with a plan quickly.

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