The Japanese government on Saturday lifted an evacuation order on Naraha, a town hit by nuclear radiation during the Fukashima disaster, over four-and-a-half years after relocating its entire population following the incident.
Naraha is the first among seven disaster-hit municipalities in Fukushina Prefecture to be officially cleared of harmful radiations and given permission for complete re-population, reported JIJI Press.
Residents of all seven municipalities were ordered to evacuate after the triple meltdown at the Fukushima nuclear plant, which was triggered by a massive earthquake and tsunami in 2011.
"The clock has just started ticking again for our town with the lifting of the evacuation order after many months. We will accelerate efforts to achieve full recovery of the town," Naraha Mayor Yukiei Matsumoto said on Saturday, according to The Asahi Shimbun.
Residents have been returning to the town after the government lifted the evacuation order. However, a large fraction of people said that they were not coming back due to safety reasons. Only around one hundred households returned during a trial period since April, according to Euro News,
"The town doesn't even look the same, but this is still my hometown and it really feels good to be back," Naraha resident Toshiko Yokota told the Associated Press. "I still feel uneasy about some things, like radiation levels and no medical facility. But I have to keep up my hope."
