Gov’t asks 3 Fukushima Pref. towns to temporarily store radioactive waste

The central government on Saturday asked three towns in Fukushima Prefecture to host temporary storage sites for contaminated soil and waste resulting from the nuclear crisis at the Fukushima Daiichi power plant in the northeastern prefecture.

The request was made in a meeting between the central government, the Fukushima prefectural government and eight towns and villages around the plant, held in Koriyama, Fukushima Prefecture, but none of the municipalities said they would accept the proposal.

In talks held among the central and local governments, the state asked the towns of Okuma, Futaba and Naraha to set up temporary storage facilities and suggested that waste collected from the disaster be stored at a controlled disposal site in Tomioka town, according to meeting participants.