TOKYO, Sept. 5 (UPI) — The Japanese town of Naraha lifted a 2011 evacuation order Saturday, the first since the nearby Fukushima nuclear power plant melted down as a result of a devastating tsunami.
Naraha is the first of seven cities surrounding the power plant that has been cleared for repopulation since the triple-reactor meltdown in March 2011. At a small ceremony, Japanese officials tried to encourage resident to move back to the town, which once had a population of 7,368. A recent government survey said some 46 percent hoped to return.
“The clock that was stopped has now begun to tick,” Naraha Mayor Yukiei Matsumoto said at the ceremony, where 100 were in attendance, including government officials.
The government set up a 12-mile radius after Fukushima melted down, spewing radiation into the air and waterways.
Fusao Sakamoto, displaced from Naraha after the meltdown, said he is looking forward to moving back. The 68-year-old will resume his gardening business while traveling between Naraha and his temporary housing in Iwaki.
“I firmly believe that we’ll find our way back to normal life and be able to smile,” he said.
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