Evacuation Order To Be Lifted For Futaba Town Near Fukushima Nuclear Plant Site
An evacuation order will be lifted next month for a part of a town hosting the damaged Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant, more than 11 years after the March 2011 disaster.
All residents in Futaba Town have been evacuated following the nuclear accident at the plant. They are not allowed to return to their homes except for short stays.
The central, prefectural and municipal governments have agreed to lift the evacuation order at 00:00 AM on August 30 for 555 hectares around JR Futaba Station. The area was designated as a "difficult-to-return" zone.
Radiation levels there have gone down and lifeline infrastructure, such as water supply, has been restored.
The nuclear disaster taskforce of the central government is expected to make an official decision, enabling evacuees to return to their hometown, for the first time in more than 11 years.
Earlier in 2020, the evacuation order was lifted for nearly 5 percent of Futaba Town. After August 30, a total of 15 percent of the town, or 775 hectares, will be open for residents to return.
A total of 3,576 people, 64 percent of the town's population comprising 1,450 households, had their residencies registered in the area as of July 1.
Town officials plan to move the town hall back to Futaba from Iwaki City on September 5.
Town mayor Izawa Shiro said that residents have been evacuated for more than 11 years hoping for their return back home, and their dreams will finally come true.
The mayor said he wants to build a new town where people desire to live, rather than merely reconstruct the town as it was.