Fukushima soil decontamination zone may be larger than expected

The Japanese government said it would lay down new soil pollution standards for the area around the stricken Fukushima nuclear power station, expanding the soil decontamination zone to neighboring prefectures, the Asahi Shimbun newspaper said on Tuesday. "Our goal is to reduce radiation levels to under 1 millisievert. Those areas with radiation levels between 1 millisievert and 5 millisieverts will naturally be covered," said Goshi Hosono, the state minister in charge of the Fukushima nuclear accident. According to a preliminary decontamination plan made last month, about 1,778 square kilometers, or 13% of Fukushima Prefecture's total area will have to be cleared. Costs are expected to hit 1.14 trillion yen ($14.9 billion). With areas showing radiation pollution between one and five millisieverts added, the decontamination area may spread to the neighboring Tochigi and Gunma prefectures. Hosono, however, stopped short of saying if those prefectures would be included into the decontamination plan. A powerful earthquake and tsunami wrecked the Fukushima Nuclear Power Plant's cooling systems on March 11, causing meltdown at three of its reactors. Radiation leaked into the atmosphere, soil and seawater. About 80,000 people living within the 30-km radius from the station had to be evacuated shortly after the nuclear crisis.