15 November 2011 | Vienna, Austria — A team of international experts today
completed their assessment of the strategy and plans being considered by the
Japanese authorities to remediate the areas off-site TEPCO\'s Fukushima Daiichi
Nuclear Power Plant (NPP).
«A lot of good work, done at all levels, is ongoing in Japan in the area of
environmental remediation,» said Juan Carlos Lentijo, Team Leader and General
Director for Radiation Protection at Spain\'s nuclear regulatory authority.
In the report, Japan is encouraged to continue its remediation efforts,
taking into account the advice provided by the Mission.
«In the early phases of the Fukushima Daiichi accident, a very cautious
approach was adopted by the Japanese authorities in terms of dealing with the
handling of residue materials. It is considered right to do so,» Lentijo
said.
«However, at this point in time, we see that there is room to take a more
balanced approach, focusing on the real priority areas, classifying residue
materials and adopting appropriate remediation measures on the basis of the
results of safety assessments for each specific situation.»
The IAEA stands ready to support Japan as it continues its efforts to
remediate the environment in the area off-site the Fukushima Daiichi NPP.
The IAEA sent the mission to Japan from 7 to 15 October 2011 following a
request from the country\'s government. The mission, comprising 12 international
and IAEA experts from several countries, visited numerous locations in the
Fukushima Prefecture and conducted meetings in Tokyo and Fukushima with
Japanese officials from several ministries and institutions.
A preliminary summary report was issued on 14 October.
Background
The accident at Fukushima Daiichi NPP has led to elevated levels of
radiation over large areas. The Government of Japan has been formulating a
strategy and plans to implement countermeasures to remediate these areas.
The IAEA organized an International Fact Finding Expert Mission Of The
Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant Accident Following The Great East Japan
Earthquake And Tsunami, which took place between 24 May and 2 June 2011.
Fact-Finding Mission Updates, 22 May — 1 June 2011
The environmental remediation mission of 7−15 October was a follow-up to the
fact-finding mission held earlier in the year and an essential component of the
IAEA\'s Nuclear Safety Action Plan, approved by the IAEA Board of Governors on
13 September and endorsed by all 151 Member States at the recent IAEA General
Conference in September 2011.
The Action Plan defines a programme of work to strengthen the global nuclear
safety framework.