Why is slightly radioactive soil being used at Japan PM’s Office? | World News

On a quiet corner of Japan’s political heart, a patch of lawn outside the Prime Miner’s Office is about to hold something unusual beneath its surface: soil that once bore traces of radiation. The government says it’s safe. But why is it being placed there at all?
In a high-stakes public gesture, Japan’s Environment Minry announced on Saturday that two cubic meters of decontaminated soil from Fukushima have been delivered to the Prime Miner’s Office in Tokyo. The soil, which is now only slightly radioactive, will be laid beneath part of the garden lawn to demonstrate its safety in real-world reuse.
This is part of the government’s effort to promote understanding and demonstrate the soil’s safety in actual reuse, and no longer dangerous.
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The minry clarified that the soil did not come from inside the crippled Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant, but from surrounding areas that were cleaned up as part of an extensive decontamination effort following the 2011 disaster.
The procedures follow guidelines approved the International Atomic Energy Agency. (Photo: Kyodo News via AP)
Broader plan to manage waste
The installation follows years of heated debate over how to handle the roughly 14 million cubic metres of contaminated soil collected after the meltdown. That soil is currently stored in temporary facilities across Fukushima, and the government has pledged to dispose of it outside the region 2045.
According to the minry, the foundation material will be buried and covered with clean topsoil thick enough to ensure radiation levels at the surface remain negligible.

The procedures follow guidelines approved the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), as per earlier reports AP.Story continues below this ad
Still, public concerns remain. Earlier efforts to use similar soil in flower beds around Tokyo were scrapped after backlash. Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshimasa Hayashi acknowledged these anxieties in May, calling for a government-wide effort to improve public understanding.
Japan began releasing treated wastewater from the Fukushima plant into the Pacific Ocean last year as part of its broader decommissioning plans. It still has more than 880 tons of melted fuel debris needing to be removed, reported AP.
(With inputs from AP)