A team of experts from the
International Atomic Energy Agency submitted a final report to the Japanese
government on Tuesday urging Tokyo to secure permanent sites for radioactive
waste from the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear crisis, Kyodo News reported.
In the report, the team, which visited Japan last month to assist the Japanese
government in planning decontamination efforts, also noted there is a
possibility that most of the radioactive waste in urban areas does not have to
be placed in temporary storage spaces because of extremely low radiation
levels.
It urges the Japanese government to make use of existing waste disposal plants
for such waste and concentrate its decontamination efforts on areas where
greater gains can be secured than expending them on forests.
The advice contained in the team's final report largely follows the line in the
interim report submitted by the team to the Japanese government on Oct. 14.
The final report stresses the importance of securing permanent sites for
radioactive waste through cooperation between the central and local governments
to avoid jeopardizing the health and safety of local residents.
It also calls for the installation of roadside signs to prevent unnecessary
exposure to radiation, arguing that people can freely access areas from which
residents have evacuated voluntarily due to relatively high levels of
radiation.
During its stay in Japan, the 12-member IAEA team visited Tokyo Electric Power
Co.'s (9501.TO) Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant, which has been crippled
since the March 11 earthquake and tsunami, and another area in Fukushima
Prefecture where decontamination efforts were under way.