Abe visits Fukushima

25 Mars 2013

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March 25, 2013

Abe visits Fukushima towns, vows to speed up rebuilding

http://www.yomiuri.co.jp/dy/national/T130324002479.htm

Jiji-Daily Yomiuri

FUKUSHIMA--Prime Minister Shinzo Abe on Sunday inspected areas in Fukushima Prefecture hit hard by the nuclear crisis, and vowed the government would accelerate efforts to help the areas get back on their feet.

It was Abe's second visit to the prefecture since assuming the post in December.

Abe first visited Namie and Tomioka, the towns in the vicinity of the stricken Fukushima No. 1 nuclear power plant.

The towns have been designated as no-entry zones or expanded evacuation zones due to the nuclear crisis triggered by the March 11, 2011, earthquake and tsunami. However, Tomioka will be redesignated Monday and Namie on April 1, making it easier for residents to visit their hometowns.

Abe inspected shops, town government offices and other buildings. "The government will take every possible step to accelerate reconstruction work," he told the towns' mayors and other officials.

In Namie, Abe saw piles of debris still sitting in a shopping district. "It looks as if time has stopped here," Abe said.

Namie Mayor Tamotsu Baba asked for government support to quickly remove such debris, and Tomioka Mayor Katsuya Endo called for help in securing places to store it.

"We'll try to respond to as many requests as possible," Abe told them.

The prime minister went to Koriyama in the afternoon, where he listened to farmers whose business has been seriously affected by adverse comments about radiation, and visited an indoor play facility for children.

Abe visits Fukushima to check reconstruction

http://mainichi.jp/english/english/newsselect/news/20130324p2g00m0dm006000c.html

TOKYO (Kyodo) -- Prime Minister Shinzo Abe visited Fukushima Prefecture on Sunday to check the progress of reconstruction in areas damaged by the March 2011 earthquake, tsunami and nuclear crisis.

Abe stopped by Namie, a small town which was evacuated following the disaster at the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant, and to which residents' access is still restricted.

The entire town is currently designated as a no-go zone, but the boundaries of the restricted area will be redrawn April 1, with residents to be allowed to temporarily visit some parts. The premier visited the town to check its current state before the narrowing of the zone.

Abe will visit the town of Tomioka, where a no-go zone will be narrowed from Monday, and also hear from farmers in a city suffering from fears about radioactive contamination of their products.

It is Abe's fourth such tour in the quake-hit Tohoku region and the latest since he visited Iwate and Miyagi prefectures in February. He last visited Fukushima in December, just after he took office.