Dozens of bags of slightly radioactive soil collected from the site of the stricken Fukushima nuclear power plant were delivered to Japan's prime minister's office on Saturday to show that it is safe for reuse.

Soon after the tsunami and nuclear disaster in March 2011, authorities scraped a layer of contaminated soil from parts of the Fukushima area to reduce radiation levels. A huge amount of soil - 14 million cubic meters - has since been stored in facilities near the plant, and the government has set a deadline of 2045 for transferring it to other parts of the country.

Most of the stored soil contains low levels of radiation, equivalent to or less than one X-ray per year for people standing directly on or working with it, the environment ministry said. But with few willing to take the contaminated soil, the government has pledged to reuse some of the soil to show it is not dangerous.

On Saturday, workers unloaded bags of soil from a truck in front of the prime minister's office in central Tokyo, after earlier reports suggested it would be used in flower beds. The soil in Fukushima will be covered with a layer of ordinary soil about 20 centimeters thick, according to the environment ministry.

Opinion polls show that Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba's coalition could lose its majority in Sunday's upper house election, a result that could force him to resign after less than a year in office. | BGNES, AFP