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Mixed Reaction Over Plan For
Fukushima County To Store Radioactive Waste
Fukushima Nuclear Disaster
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FUKUSHIMA -- The mayors of towns and villages in the Futaba
county of Fukushima Prefecture have shown mixed responses to
the central government's request that three of the eight
municipalities in the county host temporary storage
facilities for radioactive soil and waste emanating from the
nuclear crisis at the Fukushima No. 1 nuclear power plant
"What's the rationale for us
to have to host such facilities?" one of the mayors
questioned, while another said in defense of the plan,
"Decontamination work will not progress unless those storage
facilities are installed at an early date."
The central government
requested on March 10 that the towns of Futaba, Naraha and
Okuma in the county host interim storage facilities for
contaminated soil and waste, pressing the towns' mayors to
make a difficult decision and accept the proposal.
After exchanging opinions
with central government officials, Futaba Town Mayor
Katsutaka Idogawa said, "I will discuss the matter with the
municipal assembly and townspeople." However, he questioned,
"Is there a reason for us to host such a facility?"
Referring to the
controversial assertions by Tokyo Electric Power Co. (TEPCO),
the operator of the crippled
nuclear plant, that the radioactive materials that were
once scattered outside the plant compounds are "ownerless,"
Mayor Idogawa stressed, "Unless we know who the owner (of
the contaminated soil) is, there is no room to talk about
it."
Okuma Town Mayor Toshitsuna
Watanabe said, "It is disgusting that the government started
narrowing down candidate host towns from the really early
stages. It's not about hosting such a facility because of
money. ... We want the central government to fulfill its
accountability to our residents and municipal assembly."
Naraha Town Mayor Takashi
Kusano, meanwhile, welcomed the government's request,
saying, "We have no choice but to cooperate."
Residents evacuating from
the areas around the troubled nuclear complex have also
expressed mixed emotions.
"I don't want our town to
host such a facility, but I've half given up. Unless a
direction is determined at an early date, residents' return
to the town would be delayed and the town of Okuma will
vanish," said the 74-year-old head of the Ottozawa district.
A 43-year-old farmer in the
town of Naraha said, "Hosting such a facility would
discourage many residents from coming back to the town. The
burden shouldn't be inflicted on Fukushima alone, the pain
should be shared by the entire nation."
(Mainichi Japan) March 12,
2012
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