Japan has released a new long-term cleanup plan for its tsunami-hit nuclear plant that would take as many as 40 years to fully decommission while keeping the still vulnerable facility safely under control.

Trade Minister Yukio Edano said Wednesday, December 21, that the government plans to move through the process firmly and safely while paying attention to the views of residents displaced by the crisis at the Fukushima Dai-ichi nuclear plant.

A March 11 earthquake and tsunami sent the plant's three reactors into meltdowns, causing massive amounts of radiation to leak and more than 100,000 people around the plant to evacuate.

The new roadmap comes several days after the government declared the plant stable.

Experts say the plant remains vulnerable to future disasters, The Associated Press reported.