The education and science ministry plans to file an ¥8.1 billion budget request for research related to dismantlement of reactors at the crippled Fukushima No. 1 power plant.

From that total, ¥2 billion will be used to create a research center on reactor dismantlement and for training specialists in the field, sources said Monday.

The facility, tentatively called Hairo Kokusai Kyodo Kenkyu Senta (which translates roughly as International Joint Research Center for Dismantlement of Nuclear Reactors), will be located near Fukushima No. 1, they said.

Officials hope it will serve as a conduit to bring together expertise in robotics and other related technologies from universities and research institutes.

The ministry has already gained approval from Prime Minister Shinzo Abe on creating a new facility specializing in dismantlement.

The other ¥6.1 billion will be used for research on the disposal of melted fuel and other kinds of radioactive waste at Fukushima No. 1, the sources said.