After the earthquake and tsunami in 2011, Japan continues to heal the wounds in the surrounding areas that were evacuated due to the nuclear leak at the power plant.
The “hard to turn” sign that was hung 12 years ago in the Iitate area in the city of Soma close to the power plant has been removed and this area has been declared a “Special Reconstruction Area”.
The road leading to the region has also been opened to the public. It was announced that people who were evacuated after the disaster could return to the rebuilt points.
Speaking to state television NHK, a 68-year-old Japanese said that he had been indecisive about returning for 12 years, and now he has decided to live at home again.
Matsuno Hirokazu, Chief Secretary of the Cabinet of Japan, said in a statement that all efforts should be made to rebuild the areas affected by the disaster.
In March 2011, as a result of the 9-magnitude earthquake and the tsunami that followed, 15,900 people died in the northeastern regions.
Due to the nuclear meltdown caused by the disaster in the reactor at the Fukushima Dai-içi Nuclear Power Plant, the residential areas surrounding the plant were evacuated.
As of November 2022, it is known that the number of people displaced due to evacuation orders is more than 30 thousand throughout the region affected by the disaster.