Residents Of Fukushima Town Start Preparing To Return
Residents of some areas of Tomioka town in Fukushima Prefecture are now allowed to stay overnight to prepare for moving back after the 2011 nuclear accident.
The accident at the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant prompted an evacuation order for Tomioka that was lifted for 90 percent of the town in 2017.
The rest of the town remains designated as a "difficult-to-return" zone. But the evacuation order is expected to be lifted for part of that zone next spring.
Beginning on Monday, officials are allowing residents from that part, which accounts for five percent of the town, to stay overnight at their homes or other accommodations to prepare for returning permanently.
Some returning evacuees started visiting the town hall to complete the necessary procedures from the morning, while others decluttered their houses. The area includes a place that is known for its beautiful cherry trees.
A 61-year-old resident said he had thought he would never be able to return home after the nuclear disaster, but the day he had been waiting for has finally arrived.
The area had 2,681 registered residents from 1,167 households as of April 1. That accounts for 22 percent of the town's population.
But many residents have already decided not to move back, and only around 50 households have said they will stay in the town to prepare for their return.
The number of people who currently live in Tomioka is about 10 percent of the figure before the disaster.