In Futaba Town, Fukushima Prefecture, where the TEPCO Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Station is located, it has been four days and one year since some evacuation orders due to the nuclear accident were lifted.
The town is actively attracting businesses, but the issue is how to regain the bustle of the town because the return of the townspeople from the evacuation site is not progressing.
In Futaba Town, where the TEPCO Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant is located, evacuation orders were lifted in some areas on March 4, a year ago.
The development of a corporate complex has progressed as a base for employment regeneration in the area when residents return, and in October last year, the "Futaba Town Industrial Exchange Center" was opened, which houses the offices and restaurants of the 11 companies that were invited. ..
The town runs a free shuttle bus that connects JR Futaba Station and this facility, which is about 2 kilometers away, 16 round trips a day, and people working at the facility used the bus for four days.
According to the town, the number of people using the bus averaged 27 people a day because the return of the townspeople from the evacuation site has not progressed and tourists do not visit due to the influence of the new coronavirus. The challenge is how to stay and regain the bustle of the town.
Daisuke Takahashi (36), a shuttle bus driver, said, "We want locals and tourists to use it a lot in the future by connecting the station and the town's reconstruction base as public transportation."