Evacuees still wary of returning

Many residents haven’t returned yet because of lingering concerns about radiation. They are also worried about the lack of jobs, shops and medical services. The area was the first in the 20-km-radius exclusion zone set up around the Fukushima No. 1 nuclear plant after the March 2011 meltdowns to have its evacuation order canceled.

The government ended its decontamination work in the area last June. It then let people apply for long-term stays in August so they could make preparations for returning to their homes.The central and municipal governments suggested lifting the evacuation order in November, but demurred after residents feared that proper living conditions hadn’t been established. Many young families are hesitant to go back because of radiation, lack of sufficient medical services and employment, and the fact that they have settled into the places they evacuated to. Read more

(Fukushima Minpo,20 April 2014)