1. Japanese nuclear regulation officials say water containing radioactive tritium has leaked during dismantling work at the Fugen advanced thermal reactor in Fukui Prefecture, central Japan. Officials say workers did not suffer internal radiation exposure caused by, for example, accidentally swallowing radioactive water. But detailed examinations are underway to check for possible external exposure caused by radioactive water splashing on the skin or through other ways.
2. Japan has decided to review its support for large-scale solar-power generation facilities, amid growing concerns about their impact on the environment. The government approved a package of measures to regulate solar-power plants at a Cabinet meeting on Tuesday. The package includes reviewing the scope of environmental assessments and expanding the area of the Kushiro wetland, a national park in the northernmost prefecture of Hokkaido.
3. Researchers in Japan will conduct a test to mine mud from the seabed that is known to contain rare earth elements, in waters near the Japanese island of Minamitorishima. Under a project led by Japan’s Cabinet Office, researchers will carry out the test for about a month starting in January, using the exploration vessel “Chikyu” operated by the Japan Agency for Marine-Earth Science and Technology.