PM Ishiba Visits Fukushima N-Plant for 1st Time

Fukushima, Dec. 14 (Jiji Press)--Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba on Saturday visited the disaster-crippled Fukushima No. 1 nuclear power station in northeastern Japan for the first time since he took office in early October.

He also inspected an interim storage facility for soil from radiation decontamination work.

In talks with reporters after inspecting the meltdown-hit Tokyo Electric Power Company Holdings Inc. plant in Fukushima Prefecture, Ishiba said his government will set up a forum of relevant ministers for talks on the recycling of such soil. The power station was heavily damaged by the March 2011 earthquake and tsunami.

A Japanese law stipulates that the soil should go through a final disposal process outside of the prefecture by the end of March 2045.

"Reducing the amount of soil through measures such as recycling is extremely important for the realization of final disposal outside of the prefecture," Ishiba said.

[Copyright The Jiji Press, Ltd.]