英字新聞

The Yomiuri Shimbun March 08, 2014
Construct facilities to store N-waste to get decontamination work on track
中間貯蔵施設　「２町集約」で早期完成目指せ（3月8日付・読売社説）

Constructing interim facilities for the bulk storage of radioactive waste is key to quickly pushing forward with the reconstruction of Fukushima Prefecture.
　福島の復興を加速させるカギとなるのが、放射性物質に汚染された廃棄物を一括保管する中間貯蔵施設の建設だ。

It is indispensable for the Environment Ministry to give thorough explanations to local residents about why such facilities are needed and what kinds of safety measures will be taken, and finish building the storage sites as soon as possible.
　環境省は地元住民に必要性や安全対策を丁寧に説明し、早期完成を図る必要がある。

The facilities will store soil contaminated by the crisis at Tokyo Electric Power Co.’s Fukushima No. 1 nuclear power plant, and ash from burning contaminated items. They will accommodate enough waste to fill Tokyo Dome more than 20 times. The government has decided to procure \1.1 trillion in construction costs from part of revenues from the promotion of power-resource development tax.
　中間貯蔵施設に搬入するのは、東京電力福島第一原子力発電所の事故により汚染された土や焼却灰だ。最大で東京ドーム２０杯分以上の廃棄物を保管する。政府は１・１兆円の建設費に電源開発促進税を充てることを決めている。

Contaminated soil removed during decontamination work and other waste is now being stored at temporary sites at municipalities across the prefecture. As there has been no progress in the plan to construct the facilities, contaminated waste is stuck at the temporary sites. In addition, such sites are in short supply.
　除染作業で除去された汚染土などは現在、県内各地の仮置き場で保管されている。中間貯蔵施設の建設が前に進まないため、仮置き場から動かせない。仮置き場も不足している。

As the things stand now, the vicious cycle in which the shortage of storage sites is suspending decontamination work cannot be broken.
　このままでは、除染作業が滞る悪循環は解消しない。

Last December, Environment Minister Nobuteru Ishihara asked that the three towns of Futaba, Okuma and Naraha, which are located close to the crippled nuclear power plant, host the storage facilities. Under the proposal, the state would purchase a total of 19 square kilometers of land tracts for the facilities.
　石原環境相は昨年１２月、福島第一原発に近い双葉、大熊、楢葉の３町に建設の受け入れを要請した。用地として、計１９平方キロを国有化する計画だった。

Fukushima Gov. Yuhei Sato consulted with the three towns and other parties concerned last month, and asked Ishihara to drop Naraha from the list and make Futaba and Okuma the only candidate sites for construction.
　これに対し、福島県の佐藤雄平知事が先月、３町などと調整した上で、楢葉町を建設候補地から除外し、双葉、大熊両町に集約するよう石原環境相に要請した。

Naraha’s airborne radioactive material readings have been lower than those of Futaba and Okuma, which has raised the prospect of evacuated residents making an early return. It is therefore understandable that Naraha residents do not want to have a large facility storing high-level radioactive waste in their town.
　楢葉町は、双葉、大熊両町に比べ、空間放射線量が低い。住民の早期帰還が期待できるだけに、高濃度汚染ごみの大規模保管施設を町内に設置してほしくないという住民の声は理解できる。

Encouraging residents’ return

Naraha Mayor Yukiei Matsumoto, while giving thoughtful consideration to the other two towns, has commented that if the town is excluded from the list of candidate sites, it will likely increase the number of evacuated residents who want to return.
　楢葉町の松本幸英町長は、両町に配慮しつつ、建設地から外れることで、「楢葉に戻りたいという住民が増えるのでは」と語る。

Accepting such facilities would likely be an agonizing choice for Futaba and Okuma, where there are currently no prospects of allowing their residents to return, made to facilitate the reconstruction of the prefecture as a whole.
　一方、住民帰還の見通しが立たない双葉、大熊両町にとっては、福島全体の復興を考慮した苦渋の選択だと言えよう。

Aiming to start sending radioactive waste to the new facilities in January 2015, the Environment Ministry plans to present a new construction plan to the prefectural government. It is hoped that narrowing down the candidates to the two towns will break the impasse.
　環境省は２０１５年１月の搬入開始を目指し、近く新たな建設案を県側に示す。２町集約を早期建設の突破口としたい。

The government plans to propose regional promotion measures for Futaba and Okuma. What kinds of promotion measures will be effective for the towns, where contamination makes it difficult for residents to return? It is essential for the government to grasp the needs of evacuated residents and provide them with finely tuned support.
　政府は、双葉、大熊両町の地域振興策も提示する方針だ。帰還困難な地域に、どのような振興策が効果的なのか。避難住民のニーズを把握し、きめ細かい支援に徹することが重要である。

The interim storage sites are to operate for up to 30 years. On final disposal sites beyond that, the government said it intends to build them outside the prefecture, but there are no prospects for such sites.
　中間貯蔵施設での保管期間は最長３０年だ。しかし、その先の最終処分場について、政府は県外設置の方針を明らかにしただけで、全くメドがついていない。

Residents of the candidate sites for the interim facilities continue to suspect that the sites will eventually be used for final disposal facilities. The government must take the lead in working to select final disposal sites.
　中間貯蔵施設候補地の住民の間では、「結局、最終処分場になるのではないか」という不信感が根強い。政府は、最終処分場の選定についても、前面に出て対応していかねばならない。

(From The Yomiuri Shimbun, March 8, 2014)
（2014年3月8日02時02分 読売新聞）