While the government will provide financial assistance in removing radioactive materials in 102 municipalities, some cities such as Chichibu, Saitama Prefecture, have chosen to leave possible money on the table.
While the government will provide financial assistance in removing radioactive materials in 102 municipalities, some cities such as Chichibu, Saitama Prefecture, have chosen to leave possible money on the table.
That's because they decided not to apply for designation for fear of adding to negative publicity of being contaminated.
“Radiation levels are high in forestlands in mountainous areas, and they do not affect the lives of citizens,” Chichibu Mayor Kuniyasu Kuki said. “If we are designated, it would give the impression that the entire city has been contaminated.”
The Environment Ministry announced the list of eligible municipalities, scattered over Fukushima, Miyagi, Iwate, Ibaraki, Tochigi, Gunma, Saitama and Chiba prefectures, on Dec. 19. The prefectures are in the Tohoku and Kanto regions.
Forty of the 102 municipalities are in Fukushima Prefecture, home to the crippled Fukushima No. 1 nuclear power plant.
The municipalities have some areas with radiation levels of 0.23 microsievert or more per hour and additional radiation exposure levels exceeding 1 millisievert due to the accident at the Fukushima No. 1 plant.
Based on a special measures law that fully takes effect in January, the municipalities will draw up plans to remove radioactive materials for areas with 0.23 microsievert or more per hour at 1 meter above the ground.
The government in principle will shoulder the costs directly required for measuring radiation levels and removing radioactive materials.
But many municipalities refrained from applying for designation even though radiation levels exceeded government standards in some areas under their jurisdiction.
Local officials are concerned that outsiders may misunderstand that the whole areas of the municipalities have been contaminated with high radiation levels.
In the town of Daigo, Ibaraki Prefecture, parts of forests bordering Fukushima Prefecture recorded radiation levels higher than government standards.
But town officials decided not to apply for designation because they feared it could aggravate negative publicity for tourism and other local industries.
Daigo is known for Fukuroda no Taki, considered one of the nation’s three most beautiful waterfalls.
In addition, the government will directly carry out decontamination work in the no-entry zone within a 20-kilometer radius from the Fukushima No. 1 plant and in the planned evacuation zone with radiation levels exceeding 20 millisieverts a year.
The two zones cover seven towns and villages and parts of four other municipalities.