Iron Scraps Taken from near Fukushima N-plant

Jiji Press

17:58 JST, September 20, 2023

TOKYO (Jiji Press) — Workers at a demolition site near the Fukushima No. 1 nuclear power plant took and sold iron scraps from waste possibly contaminated with radioactive materials, Environment Ministry officials said Tuesday.

Workers at a subcontractor of Kajima Corp., tasked with the demolition, took the scraps without permission, violating the process of dealing with contaminated waste as stipulated by law.

General contractor Kajima, commissioned by the ministry to carry out the demolition, has consulted the Fukushima prefectural police over the matter.

The site, a library-museum complex in the town of Okuma, Fukushima Prefecture, is in a specified reconstruction area in a so-called difficult-to-return zone, where entry is still strictly restricted due to high levels of radiation.