Fukushima Adds Futaba To Olympic Torch Relay Route
An Olympic torch relay committee of Fukushima Prefecture has approved a proposal to add a town hosting the crippled nuclear power plant to the route for the flame relay.
In a previous meeting, the committee members concluded that they will add Futaba Town to the route if the government's evacuation order on the town is lifted. The town is one of three municipalities where the order has been in place since the 2011 nuclear accident.
Last week, the government decided to lift the order for parts of Futaba Town on March 4.
The torch relay in Fukushima is scheduled to start on March 26 at the J-Village soccer stadium. The flame will then travel through 25 municipalities within the prefecture for three days before heading for points across Japan.
Fukushima governor Masao Uchibori said that adding Futaba Town to the route sends a strong message to people inside and outside Japan, letting them know what is happening in Fukushima nine years after the disaster.
