The science ministry plans to release a map by the end of the year that will show an expanded view of radiation contamination in 22 prefectures.
The science ministry plans to release a map by the end of the year that will show an expanded view of radiation contamination in 22 prefectures.
The current map covers 12 prefectures in eastern Japan, mainly in the Tohoku and Kanto regions, contaminated with radiation from the Fukushima No. 1 nuclear power plant accident.
Science minister Masaharu Nakagawa said in a speaking engagement in Tokyo on Oct. 19 that the map will be expanded to include the Kansai region in western Japan.
The science ministry has been monitoring levels of airborne radiation and of radioactive cesium on the ground since April.
The government surveys have detected relatively high levels of radiation in areas surrounding Fukushima Prefecture, the Tokyo metropolitan area and other locations 250 kilometers away from the Fukushima plant.