After the accident at TEPCO's Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Station, the national and prefectural governments and the town will lift the evacuation order on the 30th of next month for a part of the difficult-to-return area in Futaba Town, Fukushima Prefecture, where the evacuation of all residents continues. Agreed to do.

This is the first time that the return of residents has been realized.

In Futaba Town, where the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant is located, evacuation orders were issued to the entire town after the nuclear accident 11 years ago, and all residents are still evacuating.



On the 14th, the national government, the prefecture, and the town discussed, and about 555 hectares around JR Futaba Station, which is a difficult-to-return area, the radiation dose has dropped and infrastructure such as water services has been set up, at midnight on the 30th of next month. We have agreed to lift the evacuation order.



It will be officially decided at the government's Nuclear Emergency Response Headquarters meeting.



The town will allow residents to begin their return in an area of ​​775 hectares, which is 15% of the town's area, including areas where evacuation orders have been lifted.



As of the 1st of this month, 1450 households and 3576 people, which is 64% of the town's population, have registered their resident cards in the target area.



According to the town, the function of the government office is scheduled to be returned from the office in Iwaki City to Futaba Town on September 5, and the schedule for canceling the evacuation order was adjusted to that time.



This is the first time in Futaba Town that the return of residents has been realized after the nuclear accident.



Shiro Izawa, the mayor of Futaba Town, said, "The evacuation of the residents has continued for more than 11 years, and the residents have been waiting for their return. I want to promote new town development. "

All townspeople evacuated Futaba Town's history

In Futaba Town, an evacuation order was issued to the entire town due to the nuclear accident 11 years ago, and about 7,000 residents were forced to evacuate.



In April 2011, the month after the nuclear accident, the function of the government office was moved to Kazo City, Saitama Prefecture, and in June 2013, it was moved to Iwaki City, Fukushima Prefecture, where many evacuees live.



In 2020, the evacuation order for the northeastern part of the town was lifted, but the infrastructure such as electricity and water was not in place, and no residents returned.



The town will move the office function from the office in Iwaki City to the front of JR Futaba Station on September 5, and plans to complete a part of the disaster public housing in October.



The town is aiming to increase the resident population to 2000 or more by around 2030, but last year (2021), the Reconstruction Agency and others asked residents about their intention to return, saying, "I want to return. Only 11.3% of the residents answered, "It has been more than 11 years since the nuclear accident, and the difficulty of returning is highlighted.

Men who want to return

Shinichi Kuniwake (72), who continues to live in a disaster public housing in Nakoso Town, Iwaki City, Fukushima Prefecture, decided to move to the disaster public housing that the town has maintained near JR Futaba Station next year and return. thinking about.



Mr. Kokubun said, "I thought I could go home sooner, but I'm glad that the evacuation order is finally lifted. I built the grave of his wife who died at the evacuation site in Futaba-cho. I want to live nearby. "