Japan has cleared up just five percent of the rubble left by last year's earthquake and tsunami, the government said Tuesday, amid fears it has been contaminated following the Fukushima nuclear accident.
The twin disasters, which devastated the northeastern coastal communities last year, left almost 23 million tonnes of rubble in the hardest-hit prefectures of Iwate, Miyagi and Fukushima alone.
Getting rid of the giant piles of debris is essential for communities in the disaster zone to be rebuilt.
But despite calls for national solidarity contamination fears have led local authorities around the country to refuse to allow the debris to be disposed of near them. (AFP)
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