Govt. makes formal request for debris disposal
Prime Minister Yoshihiko Noda has officially asked regional authorities to help dispose of the huge quantity of debris from last year's earthquake and tsunami.

The prime minister on Friday sent a letter based on a special law to 35 prefectures and 10 major cities.

The disaster created more than 220 million tons of rubble in the 3 worst-hit prefectures of Iwate, Miyagi and Fukushima alone. Only around 7 percent of it has been incinerated or buried.

Some local authorities are asking the central government to act more assertively to address residents' concerns over contamination from the Fukushima nuclear accident.
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