Current Situations in Fukushima
Fukushima Prefecture is located in Tohoku region, and the prefecture itself is geographically divided by montains into three areas: Hamadori, the eastern and seafront area, Nakadori, the central area, and Aizu, the western area. Although all of those were affected by the Great East Japan Earthquake and the serious accident at the disaster-hit Fukushima No.1 Nuclear Power Plant in 2011, especially in the Hamadori, the city districts, towns and villages located within 20 km from the plant are still under the mandatory evacuation order. In such districts under the evacuation order have distinct difficulties due to the restriction of entry into the evacuation zones and even the restoration of infrastructure has not yet been completed. The other two regions also have challenges, as the industries have been plagued by wide misconceptions that their products are radioactively contaminated, and they are making great effort to measure radioactivity in every product to prove the safety.
The above map was obtained from CraftMAP, and protected by copyright.
The above map was obtained from d-maps.com, and protected by copyright.
The evacuation due to the nuclear accident was all too sudden and uninformed, so the habitants left their home with only the minimum belongings. Most of them had to
move from evacuation sites so many times amid confusion. Then, where do the evacuees live now? Among the around 90,000 evacuees in Fukushima, 52,000 people live in other areas within the
prefecture, and 42,000 outside the prefecture, all over Japan (as of March 10, 2016, by Reconstruction Agency). And until recently, they were restricted of temporary returning home in the zones
in terms of the number of times and the hours staying there. The houses damaged by the earthquake were left intact and got more spoiled by rain leaks and forage by wild animals. The premises are
overgrown with weeds and trees. Those make cleanup so hard and depressing.
Nonetheless, the older generation tends to desire to return to the dear old home, whether ancestral or built up in a single lifetime. On the other hand, the younger ones get accustomed to new places during the five-year evacuation, having jobs and school children. Many people are worried that even the evacuation order is lifted, many of the former habitants, especially younger ones, would not return home.
Some of the evacuees living outside Fukushima Prefecture, mainly in private rental housing institutionally deemed as temporary housing, it sometimes is difficult to get sufficient information in a timely manner about their hometown and administrative procedures. Some feel that ties to their hometown are getting tenuous.
For "voluntary evacuees" from outside of the evacuation zones, the situation is getting more serious. Fukushima Prefecture recently announced that it will end the free provision of the deemed temporary housing to voluntary evacuees at the end of March 2017. It may become harder to make living for those who desire to continue to stay away from radiation effect.
What kinds of support are needed in Fukushima?
- Support for restoration of normal life: At citizens' level, help is needed to clean up the dilapidated premises; carrying out household goods to discard, mowing weeds, cutting trees, separating them into bags according to local garbage collecting rules.
- Support for community-building: In many districts it is worried that the community would not be restored. For those who desire to return home, major worries are depopulated neighborhood, diluted community relations, necessity of crime watch, and so on. Support is needed that is firmly rooted in the locality.
- Support for evacuees nationwide: Continual support is needed to both forced and voluntary evacuees, for example, providing them with information and opportunities to feel relieved while keeping ties with their hometown.
- Preventing the public from forgetting: When you catch the news of evacuation orders being lifted, you might think that reconstruction of the affected areas is almost completed and lose interest afterwards. In fact, however, reconstruction and restoration still have a long way to go, and challenges still remain. Efforts should be made to convey the latest situations to remind people of necessity of continual support.
- Activities in Fukushima: We continue to plan and conduct volunteer activities in the areas where restoration support is needed, such as in Odaka-ku, Minamisoma City, while giving full consideration to safety of participants.
- Visiting and learning: We plan and provide opportunities twice a year to visit the affected areas, speak directly with people responsible of reconstruction operations, learn deeper about the current situation.
- Lectures: We invite speakers from the affected area, providing people in Kanagawa with the opportunities to know the current situation and think about what to do for themselves.