Four years later, Japan lifts evacuation order for town near doomed nuke plant

Japan’s government on Saturday lifted a 4 ½-year-old evacuation order for the northeastern town of Naraha that had sent all of the town’s 7,400 residents away following the disaster at the nearby Fukushima nuclear plant. The central government has said radiation levels in Naraha have fallen to levels deemed safe following decontamination efforts.

Our clock started moving again. The lifting of the evacuation order is one key step, but this is just a start.

Naraha Mayor Yukiei Matsumoto.

Naraha became the first to get the order lifted among seven municipalities forced to empty entirely due to radiation contamination following the massive earthquake and tsunami that sent the plant’s reactors into triple meltdowns in March 2011. The town represents a test case, as most residents remain cautious amid lingering health concerns and a lack of infrastructure. About 100,000 people from about 10 municipalities around the wrecked plant still cannot go home.

My friends are all in different places because of the nuclear accident, and the town doesn’t even look the same…I still feel uneasy about some things, like radiation levels and the lack of a medical facility.

Toshiko Yokota, a 53-year-old homemaker who had to leave her Naraha house after the disaster.

Fukushima Asia-Pacific