City opposes radioactive waste site proposal for Fukushima Daiichi
News On Japan via NHKReloaded -- Sep 28
Japan's government has again met severe local opposition when proposing a site for permanent disposal of ash and mud exposed to radiation from last year's nuclear plant accident.
Senior Vice Environment Minister Katsuhiko Yokomitsu met Ibaraki Governor Masaru Hashimoto and Takahagi Mayor Yoshio Kusama separately on Thursday, to seek their cooperation on the matter.
Yokomitsu suggested a national forest in Takahagi City for the site, saying the forest has enough space and is far from residential areas.
He asked the mayor for a chance to explain the proposal to local residents, saying his ministry will ensure safety of the disposal facility.
Mayor Kusama voiced firm opposition, criticizing the government for abruptly reporting the decision without consultation during the selection process.
Earlier this month, the ministry triggered similarly strong opposition when it proposed a national forest in Yaita City in Tochigi Prefecture as a disposal site for the prefecture's own contaminated ash and mud.
The government plans to dispose of ash and mud with radioactive cesium levels of more than 8,000 becquerels per kilogram within each prefecture. The government allows waste below the 8,000 mark to remain in landfills.
A similar selection process is underway for other prefectures, but the ministry is not revealing candidate sites for fear of possible confusion in communities.
The government says it hopes to win local consent and start building a disposal facility next summer.
Police said Thursday they have arrested a man after he allegedly punched four schoolchildren outside Ishioka Station in Ibaraki Prefecture. (Japan Today )
Police said Wednesday they are looking for a man who robbed a convenience store in Ome City, Tokyo, on Tuesday morning. Police believe the same man robbed the store in April. (Japan Today )
Multiple news outlets over the weekend reported on the arrest of a 28-year-old male for operating a prostitution ring employing underage females. (Tokyo Reporter )
The number of people who committed suicide in Japan in 2012 was 27,858, dropping below 30,000 for the first time in 15 years, the Cabinet Office said in a white paper on Tuesday. The figure was 2,800 fewer than in 2011. (Japan Today )
A collection of materials related to a 17th century mission sent by a Japanese feudal lord to Europe and the world's oldest autographic diary left 10 centuries ago by a Japanese regent have been selected for the UNESCO Memory of the World registry, the Japanese education ministry said Wednesday. (Global Post )
Almost 1,500 people were transported to hospitals by ambulance due to heatstroke last week, up sharply from 942 in the preceding week, the Fire and Disaster Management Agency said Tuesday. (Japan Times )
Police said Tuesday that a mummified body was found earlier this month in a storage cabinet in a restaurant in Morioka, Iwate Prefecture. (Japan Today )
Among about 200,000 traffic signals nationwide, 16 percent are being used beyond the end of the expected lifetime of their electrical systems and some have even toppled over due to age, according to the National Police Agency. (Yomiuri )
Mt. Fuji, the tallest mountain in Japan, will likely see its summer "traffic jam" of climbers worsen this year thanks to its expected addition to the UNESCO World Heritage List. (Yomiuri )
In May, Akira Ikoma, the editor of a guide to men's entertainment called Ore no Tabi (My Journey), said that "Abenomics" had caused a spike in prices at high-end soapland bathhouses in Tokyo. However, the same editor tells Shukan Post (June 28) that the initiative is not impacting the low-end market in the same way. (Tokyo Reporter )
Police said Thursday they have arrested a man after he allegedly punched four schoolchildren outside Ishioka Station in Ibaraki Prefecture. (Japan Today 
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Police said Wednesday they are looking for a man who robbed a convenience store in Ome City, Tokyo, on Tuesday morning. Police believe the same man robbed the store in April. (Japan Today 
Multiple news outlets over the weekend reported on the arrest of a 28-year-old male for operating a prostitution ring employing underage females. (Tokyo Reporter 
The number of people who committed suicide in Japan in 2012 was 27,858, dropping below 30,000 for the first time in 15 years, the Cabinet Office said in a white paper on Tuesday. The figure was 2,800 fewer than in 2011. (Japan Today 
A collection of materials related to a 17th century mission sent by a Japanese feudal lord to Europe and the world's oldest autographic diary left 10 centuries ago by a Japanese regent have been selected for the UNESCO Memory of the World registry, the Japanese education ministry said Wednesday. (Global Post 
Almost 1,500 people were transported to hospitals by ambulance due to heatstroke last week, up sharply from 942 in the preceding week, the Fire and Disaster Management Agency said Tuesday. (Japan Times 
Police said Tuesday that a mummified body was found earlier this month in a storage cabinet in a restaurant in Morioka, Iwate Prefecture. (Japan Today 
Among about 200,000 traffic signals nationwide, 16 percent are being used beyond the end of the expected lifetime of their electrical systems and some have even toppled over due to age, according to the National Police Agency. (Yomiuri 
Mt. Fuji, the tallest mountain in Japan, will likely see its summer "traffic jam" of climbers worsen this year thanks to its expected addition to the UNESCO World Heritage List. (Yomiuri 
In May, Akira Ikoma, the editor of a guide to men's entertainment called Ore no Tabi (My Journey), said that "Abenomics" had caused a spike in prices at high-end soapland bathhouses in Tokyo. However, the same editor tells Shukan Post (June 28) that the initiative is not impacting the low-end market in the same way. (Tokyo Reporter