Japan's Ministry of the Environment Determined More Than Ever to Spread Radioactive Disaster Debris All Over Japan

Minister of the Environment and Minister of the Fukushima Nuclear Disaster Goshi Hosono called representatives from 43 Prefectures to the Ministry of the Environment and requested again that they accept disaster debris from Miyagi and Iwate Prefectures.

From Fuji News Network (FNN) via Yahoo Japan (10/5/2011; don't expect this link to last for more than a few days):

東日本大震災で発生したがれきの処理が大きな問題になっているが、環境省は4日、全国の自治体を集めた会議を開き、がれきの受け入れを要請した。

Processing the disaster debris from the March 11 earthquake/tsunami has been a big problem. The Ministry of the Environment held a conference attended by the municipalities from all over Japan, and requested that they accept the disaster debris.

細野環境相は「被災地にとっては、災害廃棄物の処理が、復旧復興の大きな前提と同時に、関門になっております。是非とも皆さんのお力を貸していただけますように」と述べた。

Minister of the Environment Hosono said, "The obstacle to recovery and reconstruction is the processing of the disaster debris. I'd like to ask you to cooperate with us".

この会議は、岩手県・宮城県で発生したがれきについて、ほかの自治体での受け入れを進めるために環境省が開いたもので、43の都道府県と74の市区町村などの廃棄物や清掃の担当者が出席した。

The conference was set up by the Ministry of the Environment to expedite the acceptance of disaster debris in Iwate and Miyagi Prefectures. People in charge of waste disposal and cleaning in 43 prefectures and 74 municipalities participated.

東日本大震災では、およそ2,300万トンのがれきが発生しているとみられるが、放射能汚染を心配する声などが多く、すでにがれきを受け入れている山形県と10月下旬から受け入れを始める予定の東京都をのぞいて、がれきの受け入れが進んでいない。

It is considered that the March 11 disaster resulted in about 23 million tonnes of debris. However, there are many people voicing concern for radiation contamination, and the acceptance of the disaster debris is not happening except for Yamagata Prefecture which has already been accepting the debris and Tokyo which will start accepting starting the second half of October.

今後、環境省では、それぞれの自治体に、あらためて自治体の意向や処理可能量などについての調査を行い、被災地と受け入れ自治体との調整作業を進めていく予定。

The Ministry of the Environment will ask the municipalities once again about their intentions and waste processing capacities, and will coordinate between the disaster-affected areas and the municipalities that will accept the debris.

As for the Tokyo Metropolitan government, it signed the agreement with Iwate Prefecture on September 30 with hardly any consultation with the Metropolitan Assembly and zero consultation with the residents to accept about 500,000 tonnes of disaster debris. The government says it tested the ashes of the disaster debris from Miyako City in Iwate Prefecture and it was only 133 becquerels/kg of radioactive cesium.

What the Metropolitan government didn't bother to tell anyone was that the radioactive debris were mixed with non-radioactive regular garbage and burned. The radioactive debris were supposedly 30%. However, the Ministry of the Environment itself did the testing of the disaster debris ashes in the same city back in July, and the Ministry's number was 4895 becquerels/kg of radioactive cesium. (Information from Tokyo Shinbun on 10/5/2011, in Japanese)

That leads me to suspect that Tokyo cherry-picked the cleanest possible debris to justify their decision. Why Governor Shintaro Ishihara is so eager to add radiation to his already irradiated Tokyo is a mystery to me, except there's a saying in Japan - "If you eat poison, lick the plate, too."

In for a penny, in for a pound.

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