Iitate school reopens

April 6, 2018

Schools reopen in village of Fukushima

https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20180406_36/

Children are returning to school in a village in Fukushima Prefecture for the first time since the March 2011 nuclear accident.

A new school building was constructed after authorities lifted an evacuation order for most of Iitate village in March last year.

75 elementary and junior high students will attend the school. 20 first-graders were welcomed at an entrance ceremony on Friday.

Junior high principal Setsuko Wada urged the students to be proactive and persevering.

Junior high freshman Manato Okabe said the students were happy to return to the warmth of a school in their hometown, and together they'll start a new tradition.
After the nuclear accident, children from Iitate took classes at temporary facilities outside the village.

Iitate authorities are waiving tuition fees and all other costs for the new school. They consider education to be a pillar of their plan to encourage former residents to return.

Most of the students still live outside Iitate. Many will spend more than one hour commuting on a school bus.

A junior high freshman said he's looking forward to the swimming class, which rarely took place at the temporary school. He said he also hopes to learn more about the village.

An elementary school 1st grader said he wants to play soccer with his friends.

Elementary and junior high schools have also reopened in the towns of Namie and Tomioka, following the lifting of evacuation orders for most areas in Fukushima last year.

But residents are not hurrying back. Namie had a population of about 21,000 before the nuclear accident. The figure is now about 500.