Self-Defense Forces personnel will be used for decontamination work in the no-entry zone around the stricken Fukushima No. 1 nuclear power plant from December.
Self-Defense Forces personnel will be used for decontamination work in the no-entry zone around the stricken Fukushima No. 1 nuclear power plant from December.
The area lies within a 20-kilometer radius of the facility and remains off-limits to all but authorized personnel.
Little work has been done in this area to date because radiation levels are still high.
The clean-up will allow the SDF to establish a base so that private organizations can continue the decontamination work.
Defense Minister Yasuo Ichikawa is set to announce the SDF's participation to Cabinet colleagues shortly.
It will be the first time for the SDF to be involved in such activity on a full-fledged basis.
Elsewhere in Fukushima Prefecture, the Environment Ministry is coordinating with local governments to carry out decontamination work.
Members from the Ground SDF's chemical defense units, who have expertise in dealing with radioactive materials and chemical weapons, will be mobilized for the work in the no-entry zone, the Defense Ministry said.
The decision to tackle decontamination work on a full-scale basis was reached at a Nov. 11 Cabinet meeting.
Prime Minister Yoshihiko Noda instructed the environment and other ministries to assemble teams, saying, "We need to set up a strong system (to accomplish this goal)."
Once Ichikawa formally announces the involvement of the SDF in the decontamination work, the Defense Ministry will draw up a plan of action with the Environment Ministry.
Ichikawa is set to announce his decision when his Cabinet colleagues meet at the prime minister's official residence.
The special measures law to deal with contamination by radioactive materials takes effect in January. From that point on, private organizations will likely pick up the slack with regard to decontamination work in the no-entry zone.
The Defense Ministry and the Environment Ministry are expected to dispatch SDF personnel to the towns of Namie and Naraha and elsewhere, thereby providing a base for private organizations to continue the decontamination work next year.