Foreign Ambassadors Visit Fukushima Soil Storage Facility

Okuma, Fukushima Pref., Oct. 31 (Jiji Press)--Japan's industry ministry on Tuesday held a tour for foreign ambassadors and others to visit an interim storage facility for soil collected during decontamination work following the March 2011 Fukushima nuclear accident. The tour was attended by embassy officials and media representatives from 34 countries, including the ambassadors of Guatemala, Uruguay, Ethiopia and Uganda. They inspected the facility, located in the towns of Okuma and Futaba in Fukushima Prefecture, viewing piled-up bags of soil from decontamination work and high ground made from such soil while listening to explanations. "I have seen the efforts to rebuild Fukushima, the efforts to treat water, to treat the soil, and bring life back to Fukushima," Ugandan Ambassador to Japan Tophace Kaahwa told reporters after the visit. "We hope the tour will help other countries better understand the current state of reconstruction and make them feel that Fukushima is an attractive location for domestic and foreign companies," said an official of the industry ministry. END