In Futaba Town, Fukushima Prefecture, where the Tokyo Electric Power Company's Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant is located and suffered major damage in the nuclear accident, the post office has resumed operations for the first time in approximately 13 years.
Futaba Town was the only municipality in Japan that did not have a single post office open, but this was resolved within seven days.
The Futaba Post Office in Futaba Town has resumed operations.
A commemorative ceremony was held on the morning of the 7th, and about 20 people gathered, including people from the post office and the town.
During the event, Mayor Shiro Izawa of Futaba Town greeted the town by saying, ``I am confident that the resumption of business will improve the living environment and that recovery will move forward.''
After the ceremony, counter operations began at 9 a.m., and local people were immediately sending mail and using the ATMs.
In Futaba Town, where Tokyo Electric Power Company's Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant is located, and where an evacuation order was issued for the entire area after the nuclear accident, the evacuation order was lifted in some areas this year, and residents began returning home.
According to Japan Post, the Futaba Post Office has relocated from its location before the nuclear accident to a location near JR Futaba Station and has resumed operations.
Futaba Town was the only municipality in Japan that did not have a single post office open, but this was resolved within seven days.
A woman in her 80s who returned to town two months ago said, ``I came here to send some luggage. Up until now, there were no financial institutions, so I couldn't wait for them to reopen.''
Norio Sasaki, director of the Futaba Post Office, said, ``We want to contribute to the recovery so that we can become a cornerstone of the community.''