Press Release

March 17, 2020
  • Waste & Recycling

The Inspection Results of Large Container Bags for Removed Soil in Temporary Storage Sites (TSS) after Heavy Rain by Typhoon Hagibis

The Ministry of the Environment, Japan (MOE) implemented overall inspection of all Temporary Storage Site(TSS) from December 2019 to February 2020, after the large container bags, which contain removed soil from off-site decontamination works derived from the accident of TEPCO's Fukushima Dai-ichi Nuclear Power Station, were carried away from TSS into rivers due to the heavy rain by Typhoon Hagibis.

The methods and findings of overall inspection are as follows:

  • Method of overall inspection of TSS

    Based on the geographical information, MOE picked up 322 TSS located close to rivers or located in flood hazard areas out of all 765 TSS storing the removed soil as of November 2019 (44 locations outside Fukushima Pref.) and inspected the sites and analyzed the possibility that the container bags are carried away, consulting with experts.

  • Result of overall investigation and future responses

    As the result of the investigation, it was confirmed that 12 TSS in Fukushima Prefecture need recurrence prevention measures. Therefore, MOE will implement necessary measures for these TSS in cooperation with municipalities by the end of May this year.

    At all TSS, MOE will also conduct thorough daily management and inspections, and take precautionary measures when disasters such as heavy rain are expected.

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