Press Conference by the Chief Cabinet Secretary (Excerpt)

Q&As

REPORTER: I have a question concerning the shipments of stone that were contaminated with radiation. It appears that there are no standards to assess and check stone for radiation volumes at the point of shipment. What is the Government's view of this situation and what measures do you intend to take to prevent a recurrence?

CHIEF CABINET SECRETARY FUJIMURA: My response is similar to my previous one, in that it is true that there are no standards in place for this type of case. In the case of waste materials the level is set at 8,000 bequerels per kilogram and the current status is being examined. The Government will be examining what sort of measures will be necessary in the future, but in terms of figures in the current case, where stone was shipped from the Abukuma plant of Futaba Saiseki Kogyo, this is an area where very high volumes of radiation have been recorded. There are other locations that must be duly examined, but other than the origin of shipment in this case the levels of radiation are relatively low. It will be necessary to assess the situation as a matter of urgency.

(Abridged)