TOKYO
Japan’s government has lifted an evacuation order on a town whose entire population was relocated in the wake of the 2011 Fukushima nuclear disaster.
Kyodo News reported Saturday that the measure for Naraha, mostly located within a 20-kilometer radius of the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant that has been leaking radiation since an earthquake and tsunami hit the area, went into effect at midnight.
The around 7,400 locals of Naraha who are still evacuated have been permitted to stay in the town for days since April, but only about 10 percent had applied for such visits.
Evacuation orders continue to be imposed on nine other municipalities in Fukushima Prefecture.
According to Kyodo, such orders on areas with relatively low amounts of radiation are planned to be lifted by the end of March 2017.
The Great East Japan Earthquake and tsunami of March 11, 2011 damaged four reactors in Fukushima, melting the cores in three of them and forcing thousands of people to leave their homes, most of whom have been able to return.
More than four years later, some areas near the plant are still uninhabitable, and more than 110,000 people continue to live as evacuees in and outside of Fukushima.
