Prolonged evacuation order to end on June 12
11:50 JST, May 18, 2022
KATSURAO, Fukushima (Jiji Press) — The government will lift on June 12 an evacuation order for a Fukushima Prefecture district that has been in place since the 2011 nuclear disaster.
The district in the northeastern village of Katsurao, designated as a specified reconstruction and revitalization base, will become the first area in the so-called difficult-to-return zone to host permanent residents again.
The central government’s nuclear disaster response headquarters, as well as the Katsurao village and Fukushima prefectural governments, announced an agreement on the removal of the order at a news conference in the village office.
In 2011, all Katsurao residents were ordered to evacuate due to the triple meltdown at Tokyo Electric Power Company Holdings Inc.’s Fukushima No. 1 nuclear plant in the prefecture.
Later, the evacuation order was lifted for most of the village. Still, the Noyuki district, which is about 1,600 hectares and accounts for some 20% of the village, remains designated the difficult-to-return zone due to high radiation levels.
“We’ve finally reached the starting line,” Katsurao Mayor Hiroshi Shinoki told the news conference, stressing resolve to provide village people with “support for the reconstruction of their lives.”
Masahiro Ishii, state minister of economy, trade and industry, who heads the headquarters, said he is “aware of voices of concerns mainly about radiation levels.”
“We’ll work carefully, including for the establishment of a consultation system, while holding discussions with the village,” he added.
According to the Katsurao government, the village’s specified reconstruction and revitalization base, which is some 95 hectares, has 82 registered residents of 30 households.
But only four members of two households have taken part in a program from the end of November last year that allows locals to stay inside the district to prepare for the expected full return.
"Society" POPULAR ARTICLE
-
M6.0 Earthquake Hits Japan’s Tohoku Region; Fukushima, Iwate, Miyagi Prefectures Observe 4 on Japanese Scale With No Risk of Tsunami
-
Shinkansen Services Suspended After Man ‘Searches for Phone’ on Tracks; Disruption Affects About 14,000 Passengers
-
Whaling Mother Ship Built in Japan for 1st Time in 73 Years
-
Tsunami Advisory for Okinawa Lifted at Noon (UPDATE 2)
-
Strong Earthquake Rocks Southern Part of Kyushu; No Risk of a Tsunami
JN ACCESS RANKING
- Japan Lags in Efforts to Gain Value from Human Resources; Govt Working to Increase Usage
- M6.0 Earthquake Hits Japan’s Tohoku Region; Fukushima, Iwate, Miyagi Prefectures Observe 4 on Japanese Scale With No Risk of Tsunami
- Cherry Blossoms Draw Crowd to Tokyo’s Ueno Park; Viewing Season Kicks Off to Slow Start
- Shohei Ohtani’s Former Interpreter Ippei Mizuhara Appears in School Textbook; Publisher Considers Replacing Content
- Shinkansen Services Suspended After Man ‘Searches for Phone’ on Tracks; Disruption Affects About 14,000 Passengers