Cultural assets removed from evacuation zones

January 23, 2014

Cultural assets rescue mission ends in Fukushima

http://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/english/news/20140123_39.html 

Officials in Fukushima Prefecture have finished moving cultural assets out of evacuation zones near the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant.

A batch of earthenware, ancient documents and paintings was taken out of a Futaba Town museum on Thursday to be kept at a closed school in Soma City.

The move marked the end of a one-and-half-year program to rescue assets left behind in museums in 3 municipalities near the damaged plant.

Prefectural officials say a total of 3,100 boxes of properties have been taken to the temporary storage site.

An official in charge says the prefecture will now turn to preparing storage facilities for long-term care.
The prefecture also plans to start rescuing cultural assets owned by individuals.

But officials face a challenge to secure roadside shrines and Buddhist statues. Their radioactivity levels may be too high to be taken out of the zones for preservation.