Two British ships arrived in the village of Tokai, Ibaraki Prefecture, to load plutonium and transport it to a US government facility in South Carolina under a pledge made by Japan in 2014, The Telegraph reported on 21 March.
The shipment will be moved from the site of the Japan Atomic and Energy Agency by Pacific Egret and Pacific Heron, both operated by Pacific Nuclear Transport. The consignment is reportedly the largest of its type since 1992.
The 331kg of plutonium—mostly from the US with some from France—was used for research purposes.