15 April, 2019
Okuma Town Becomes First Nuclear Hosting Municipality to Have Evacuation Orders Partially Lifted
On April 10, the Japanese government lifted evacuation orders for the Okawara and Nakayashiki Districts of Okuma Town (Fukushima Prefecture), issued after the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear accident of March 11, 2011. It was the first time an order was lifted for either of the two municipalities hosting the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant(NPP): Okuma and Futaba Towns.
The Okawara District of Okuma Town had been designated an area where “living is not permitted,” while Nakayashiki District was designated an area where “an evacuation order will soon be lifted.” Together, the two account for approximately 38 percent of the combined area of the two towns (approximately 79 square kilometers).
Only 367 people (138 households), some 3.5 percent of the combined town populations of 10,341, were registered as residents as of the end of March.
A new town office constructed in the Okawara District had its opening ceremony on April 14, and is slated to begin operations on May 7 (after the ten-day Golden Week holiday period), with a staff of one hundred persons.
The available housing for staff members, however, is limited to just twenty-six units, so most wi...more
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11 April, 2019
Some Evacuation Orders in Okuma Town to Be Lifted on April 10, with New Town Office to Start Operation in May
On April 5, the Japanese government’s nuclear emergency response headquarters decided to lift evacuation orders in the Okawara and Nakayashiki Districts of Okuma Town, Fukushima Prefecture, as of April 10.
Okawara had been designated as an area “where an evacuation order will soon be lifted,” while Nakayashiki was an area “where living is not permitted.” These are the first liftings of evacuation orders issued because of the nuclear disaster since Tomioka Town had its lifted in April 2017.
According to the Cabinet Office’s team in charge of assisting in the lives of disaster victims, the areas involved constitute a combined 30 square kilometers, or 38 percent of the whole of Okuma Town. As of the end of March 2019, 367 people in 138 households were officially registered as residents.
At present, town office functions are carried out from branches in Aizuwakamatsu City and two other locations in Fukushima Prefecture. In anticipation of the liftings, preparations have been underway for a...more
