The government notified a town in Tochigi Prefecture on Wednesday that it has been picked as a candidate site for the final disposal of some of the radiation-tainted waste resulting from the 2011 Fukushima nuclear disaster.

More than 100 residents in the town, which is called Shioya, gathered in front of the municipal office to express their opposition to the government's proposal.

Mayor Kazuhisa Mikata said the community "clearly" opposes the proposal, adding he had conveyed that message to Senior Vice Environment Minister Shinji Inoue during a meeting in the town earlier on Wednesday.