Six and a Half Years of Evacuation

Six and a half years have passed, since East Japan Great Earthquake devastated Tohoku region of Japan, causing unprecedentedly severe accident in First Fukushima Nuclear Power Plant. While the government of Japan ordered evacuation to the people who were living around the plant, it lifted the restriction in most area by now. However, most people still hesitate returning back to their hometown, worrying about negative impact of radiation effused from the broken plant. Recovery from the severe nuclear accident makes highly slow progress.

The government ordered the evacuation to 81,000 people in 11 cities, towns or villages in Fukushima Prefecture by the end of April 2011. It eventually lifted the order to the area with decline of the level of radiation. Starting from Miyakoji area of Tamura City in April 2014, the evacuation order was cancelled in nine cities, towns or villages by this April. Only the people in the towns of Okuma and Futaba, over which broken Fukushima plant strides, can still not get back to their hometown.

79.3% of the residents in Miyakoji have returned to their home these three years. But not more than three out of ten have get back home in other area. Only 1.9% of the residents in former evacuation area in Namie Town have returned, leaving other people in temporary residences. Having six and a half years passed, a number of the evacuees feel comfortable with their life in other cities.

One of the reasons of hesitation is poisonous radiation remaining. It is not easy to live with constant concern on health especially for a family with little kids. Accordingly, average of the people’s age in evacuation-lifted area gets older. The ratio of the people with age of 65 or older in nine cities, towns or villages exceeds 50%, jumping about two times up from the pre-disaster time. Total average of the people in that age in Japan is as low as 38.4%.

Slow progress of rebuilding infrastructure also causes reluctance of returning. Although public supply such as electricity, water or gas has resumed with effort of local government, commercial system like supermarket has not rebuilt yet. Schools suffer from scarcity of students. Some farmers resumed their agricultural job. But there still remains certain uneasiness on the products in once contaminated area.

The most active people in former evacuation area should be the workers for dismantling the broken nuclear power plant, which is planned to be finished within 2041 to 2051. Workers for decontamination job came from all over Japan, leaving their family, expecting high salary. Severe accident produced unprecedented workforce dealing with danger of radiation.