• The Japanese government plans to use soil collected from Fukushima at the Prime Minister's office.
• The soil is slightly radioactive but has been deemed safe for use in flower beds.
• This initiative aims to alleviate public concerns regarding radioactive materials.
• Previous attempts to use this soil in public projects have faced local opposition.
• The government aims to find permanent storage solutions for radioactive waste by 2045.

Japan’s government has promised to utilize soil collected from near the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant at the Prime Minister's office to demonstrate its safety, with intentions of using it in flower beds and other projects. This initiative is part of an effort to assure the public of the soil's minimal radioactivity and suitability for various public works, according to SCMP and Channel News Asia.

Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshimasa Hayashi emphasized the importance of creating a public understanding of the soil's safety during a cabinet meeting, stating that officials will “set an example” by using this soil at a prominent government location. The soil in question was removed after the 2011 disaster, and despite its storage for years, many communities remain hesitant due to fears regarding radiation, as detailed by HuffPost and Channel News Asia.

Japan has approximately 14 million cubic meters of soil and debris collected from the Fukushima region, equivalent to filling ten baseball stadiums. The plan to utilize part of this soil at the Prime Minister's office represents the first significant effort to repurpose it outside the Fukushima prefecture, which has historically faced local resistance to similar proposals, as reported by HuffPost and SCMP.

The soil will be safely covered with topsoil to minimize any radiation exposure, according to guidelines approved by the Environment Ministry. However, past public protests have caused the government to abandon similar plans for parks in urban areas, underlining the continuous concern among residents about persistent radiation even as the International Atomic Energy Agency has affirmed that Japan’s decontamination methods align with safety standards, as highlighted by Channel News Asia and HuffPost.