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.
In the coastal city of Tomioka, close to the power plant, Yonomori and Osuge areas, which have been described as “hard to return” for 12 years, have been declared “Special Reconstruction Areas”.
Thus, people who were evacuated after the disaster will be able to return to the rebuilt points in the old regions within 2 months following the lifting of the order.
“I’m finally back”
Speaking to the State Television NHK, 75-year-old Ono Koiçi stated that he was happy to be able to return to his old life and said that he would go to see the cherry blossoms blooming in the region.
Ono said, “When I was thinking that I would retire and start my second life, there was an earthquake and a nuclear accident. Now, after 12 years, I can finally return to my old life.”
Cabinet Chief Secretary Matsuno Hirokazu 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.