On 17 November, Japan began disposal of low-level radioactive waste generated by the 2011 Fukushima Daiichi nuclear accident.
The first consignment of waste included rice straw, sludge and ash from waste incineration and had radioactive caesium content from 8000Bq/kg to 100,000Bq/kg.
The Environment Ministry assumed responsibility for the disposal 200,000 tons of the waste in 11 prefectures at the end of September. Most of the waste (170,000t) is in Fukushima Prefecture.
In Fukushima, it will take six years transport all the waste that has stored in the prefecture to the disposal site, the ministry said. In 2013, the government asked Fukushima Prefecture to dispose of its low-level radioactive waste at a site then owned by a private company. In 2015, the government nationalised the site and reinforced it to prevent the entry of rainwater.
