information about Fukushima published in English in Japanese media info publiée en anglais dans la presse japonaise
19 Décembre 2013
December 17, 2013
Fukushima residents enjoy mandarin harvest
http://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/english/news/20131218_07.html
Residents of a town in Fukushima Prefecture were able to harvest mandarin oranges on Tuesday for the first time since the 2011 nuclear accident.
About 50 people gathered on a hill in the town of Hirono where some 150 mandarin trees are planted.
Before the accident at the nearby nuclear plant, the town gave mandarin saplings to residents. They enjoyed picking the fruit around this time each year.
After the accident all residents had to evacuate from the town. They were allowed to return home in March last year. But only about 1,300 people, or one-quarter of the population, have come back.
The residents could not harvest oranges for the past 2 years because radiation levels were higher than a government-set safety limit.
Last month, town officials checked this season's oranges and found the levels are below the limit.
A woman said she used to make mandarin orange jam, and is glad she can do so again.
A town official says the harvesting is a symbol of the local life. He said he hopes resumption will encourage more people to return to the town.
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