Japan lifts evacuation orders in Fukushima affecting 10,000 people
FUKUSHIMA —
The government on Tuesday further scaled down the areas in Fukushima Prefecture subject to evacuation orders since the March 2011 nuclear disaster at the Fukushima Daiichi complex, enabling the return of more than 10,000 residents to the city of Minamisoma.
Following the move, the city will be mostly habitable except for one area containing a house. But many residents do not seem eager to return having begun new lives elsewhere.
The government is in the process of gradually lifting evacuation orders issued for areas within a 20-kilometer radius of the plant of Tokyo Electric Power Company Holdings Inc. and in certain areas beyond the zone amid ongoing radiation cleanup efforts.
Eight municipalities in Fukushima Prefecture have areas defined as evacuation zones, which are divided into three categories based on their radiation levels. The most seriously contaminated area is designated as a zone “where it is expected that residents will face difficulties returning for a long time.”
The areas in Minamisoma for which evacuation orders were lifted had a registered population of 10,807, or 3,487 households, as of July 1.
http://www.japantoday.com/category/national/view/japan-lifts-evacuation-orders-in-fukushima-affecting-10000-people
