Japanese readies another $30 bln for Fukushima clean-up work
日本斥资300亿美元清理福岛核电站污染
The Japanese government is considering borrowing an additional three trillion yen, or about 30 billion US dollars, to fund the operator of the crippled Fukushima nuclear power plant.
The money will be used to help the Tokyo Electric Power Company pay for compensating the evacuees and cleaning up the contaminated area outside the wrecked plant. Cleaning up and compensation work have been underway since the nuclear leak occurred two years ago. The latest plan adds to the clean-up project’s already soaring costs. The loan would bring all Fukushima-related expenses to 80 billion US dollars.
It’s also an indication of TEPCO and the government’s struggles to hit initial targets for lowering radiation levels in the towns and villages hardest hit by the fallout. Fukushima is the worst nuclear accident since Chernobyl.