Japan marks the 10-year anniversary of its Fukushima nuclear disaster, as the site still remains unsafe.
Fukushima is considered one of the gravest nuclear disasters in Japan’s history. A massive 9.1-magnitude earthquake generated a series of powerful tsunami waves, disabling several Fukushima Daiichi reactors. This lead to a nuclear accident on March 11, 2021.
Over 160,000 residents fled the region as radiation permeated the air, with Prime Minister Naoto Kan fearing evacuation.
“We will stick to the 30-to-40-year finishing target and will compile a timeline and technology and development plans accordingly,” Akira Ono, head of the Fukushima site, told the Associated Press.
Kiyoshi Kurokawa, head of an investigation that termed the disaster as “profoundly man-made”, believes that Fukushima is ‘stamped for the rest of the history of nuclear energy’, reports Reuters.
Japan’s government has spent around $300 billion in an attempt to rehabilitate Tohoku, the Tsunami struck region. However, the Fukushima plant vicinity remains restricted, as fears surrounding radiation levels continue to linger.
