TOKYO (Kyodo) -- Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba on Saturday visited Fukushima Prefecture, hit hard by an earthquake in 2011 that triggered a crisis at a nuclear complex, to inspect a temporary storage site for soil removed during decontamination work.

Ishiba is scheduled to visit the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant, which experienced core meltdowns following the March 2011 earthquake and tsunami, for the first time since taking office in October. He is slated to receive briefings on the decommissioning of the plant.

The government plans to dispose of the contaminated soil outside of the prefecture by March 2045. Ishiba is considering holding the first meeting soon to discuss how to dispose of the soil, with all Cabinet members attending.