» Gov’t to delay lifting of evacuation order for Naraha town to Sept.

2015/07/06

The government said Monday it now plans to lift its evacuation order for the town of Naraha in Fukushima Prefecture on Sept. 5, rather than in mid-August as earlier proposed, after some residents forced to evacuate after the 2011 nuclear disaster said they were not ready to return.
Yosuke Takagi, a senior vice industry minister, met with Naraha Mayor Yukiei Matsumoto and conveyed the new plan. It would be first order to evacuate an entire municipality to be lifted.

Most of Naraha, a seaside town with a pre-crisis population of around 7,400, lies within a 20-kilometer radius of Tokyo Electric Power Co.’s radiation-leaking Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power station, whose reactors suffered meltdowns after a huge earthquake and tsunami in March 2011.

Since April, residents have been allowed to enter the town and stay for days. However, some people have expressed reluctance to return home due to concerns about radiation contamination, among other issues.

During the meeting which was open to reporters, the vice industry minister told the mayor that the government will take additional measures to ensure residents’ access to medical services and other daily needs to alleviate their concerns.

<Media Report>

Gov’t to delay lifting of evacuation order for Naraha town to Sept. (The Mainichi)

Evacuation of Fukushima town of Naraha to be lifted Sept. 5 (Japan Times)

 Reaction of people in Naraha to govt. decision (NHK World News)

Tags:evacuation, Naraha town, news

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