3 Juin 2014
June 2, 2014
Evacuated town reopens its former office
http://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/english/news/20140602_15.html
A town in the evacuation zone near the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant has re-opened its town hall to lay the groundwork for residents to return home.
Officials of Naraha Town began working at the hall on Monday, more than three years after the nuclear accident first erupted.
Mayor Yukiei Matsumoto told the municipal workers that the re-opening of the office is just a transit point, and he urged them to work hard so the town would become a model for the area's reconstruction.
Matsumoto also said the town would finally be able to function properly again and that officials would do their utmost to address a large number of issues.
About 20 workers are stationed at the town hall. They are carrying out routine duties such as giving residents advice on daily matters. They will also attend radiation monitoring at locations where radioactive materials have been removed.
The town hall re-opened after the mayor announced last week that it aims to allow residents to return home in about a year's time.
Almost the entire town is within the evacuation zone, and all residents have been evacuated. The municipal administration has been operating in another city in Fukushima Prefecture.
A survey by the central government in January showed that about 40 percent of the residents want to go back to their hometown. But people are still worried about radiation exposure and further problems at the crippled plant.
Jun. 2, 2014 - Updated 05:00 UTC