Please come home

Fukushima village prepares for repopulation

http://www3.nhk.or.jp/daily/english/20120402_16.html

A village designated as an evacuation zone in the aftermath of last year's nuclear accident at the Fukushima Daiichi plant is calling on its residents to come home.

The central government lifted its ban on entering Kawauchi Village in Fukushima Prefecture on Sunday, allowing free access to all parts of the village. Almost all of the village's approximately 3,000 residents fled after the accident. About 2,700, or 90 percent, have not yet returned for fear of radiation contamination and other concerns.

The village held a ceremony at its municipal office on Monday to formally appoint employees to their new positions. The village government has had to operate outside the evacuation zone until recently.

At the ceremony, Mayor Yuko Endo said the village should make progress toward reconstruction one step at a time.

The village plans to provide homes in areas that have been determined to be safe. It says it will press ahead with decontamination work and job creation to be ready for the residents' return.

Mayor of village near the stricken nuclear plant encourages employees

http://mdn.mainichi.jp/mdnnews/news/20120402p2a00m0na005000c.html

KAWAUCHI, Fukushima -- The mayor of this village located near the crippled Fukushima No. 1 Nuclear Power Plant gave words of encouragement to employees on April 2 as they prepared for the new fiscal year.

Speaking to all 73 employees, Mayor Yuko Endo said, "Let us work honestly to make a new village." The village was previously entirely evacuated, but in March it moved its government functions back to the village office. A new recovery department has been set up for the village, and Endo handed around 50 employees their new appointment papers.

"It was a year that reminded us of things important to people, like the goodness of our village and what a village is," said Endo. He mentioned radiation decontamination and job creation as tasks for the village to face.

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