Interim Storage Facility Opens for ~14 Million Bags of Contaminated Soil

Japan opened the Fukushima Interim Storage Facility (FISTF) in the former exclusion zones of Futaba and Okuma towns in 2015 to consolidate the approximately 14 million 1-tonne bags of contaminated soil generated by decontamination operations. The facility was designed to hold up to 22 million m³ of contaminated material for 30 years, after which the government was legally required to find a final disposal site outside Fukushima Prefecture. As of 2024, no final disposal site has been identified, and the 30-year removal deadline (2045) is viewed skeptically. The facility occupies ~16 km² of prime agricultural land in the exclusion zone.