Reduced radiation goal set for Fukushima

The Japanese government approved a long-term goal to reduce radiation exposure in the disaster-stricken Fukushima prefecture, officials said. The Cabinet approved the plan, which involves cutting the annual radiation exposure for Fukushima residents to 1 millisievert, Friday, Kyodo News reported. Under the Fukushima reconstruction and recovery policy, the government also pledged to establish a health management fund that provides medical treatment to residents under the age of 19, as well as support the prefecture in creating businesses involved in renewable energy sources. Meanwhile, the Chiba Institute of Technology has created a robot designed to probe the Fukushima No. 1 nuclear power plant reactors, Kyodo News said. The robot, nicknamed Rosemary, can lift more than 130 pounds, much more than its predecessor Quince, which could only lift about 22 pounds. It is also equipped with a camera. Rosemary "is able to perform difficult tasks because its movements have been stabilized," Eiji Koyanagi of the school's Future Robotics Technology Center said Thursday. "I hope it will collect a lot of information" at the Fukushima No. 1 plant.