Photo/Illutration Security guards remove a sign and barricade to the Nagadoro district of Iitate, Fukushima Prefecture, on May 1. (Noriyoshi Ohtsuki)

A new phase of reconstruction has begun for communities affected by the 2011 disaster at the Fukushima No. 1 nuclear power plant.

Mandatory orders to evacuate have been lifted for areas marked as reconstruction bases within six towns and villages designated as difficult-to-return zones.

Draft legislation is also under deliberation in the Diet to establish a new system of decontamination and lift evacuation orders for the remaining communities.

The government must proceed steadily to ensure a smooth transition for all evacuees wishing to return home.

Regarding difficult-to-return zones with especially high radiation levels, the government in 2016 announced its “resolve” to eventually lift all evacuation orders everywhere.

For that, the government designated urban areas as reconstruction zones and created a system under which state funds could be used for decontamination and infrastructure-building. The lifting of evacuation orders began last summer and was completed earlier this month, with the village of Iitate bringing up the rear.

But community revival is never easy. The government has invested around 300 billion yen ($2.17 billion) in public funds so far, but only a fraction over 100 former residents--approximately 1 percent of the registered population--has returned to the designated spots.

Many former residents have already established roots in the communities to which they relocated after the disaster.

In areas where evacuation orders were lifted only recently, people’s essential needs in daily life--such as shopping and health care facilities--are nowhere near adequate.

This indicates that plans must have been made without giving due consideration to the reality of the moment and the convenience of residents. The central and local governments must strive to make improvements.

As for a new system for communities outside the reconstruction zones, the government intends to lift the evacuation orders during the 2020s once it has designated roads and areas around the homes of people wishing to return as special return residential zones and decontaminated them. A pertinent bill is expected to be become law shortly.

Accommodating the wishes of people yearning to return home is the responsibility of the government since it failed to take appropriate steps to avert such a disaster.

Twelve years have passed since then. We hope local governments will make swift progress in formulating their plans by determining the extent of decontamination under the new system without delay.

On the other hand, the authorities need to give ample time to confirming the wishes of former residents and ensuring their needs are met in full.

An opinion poll begun by local governments last year found that 20 to 30 percent of the participating households indicated their wish to return home. However, the degree of eagerness to return, as well as the timing of doing so and the lifestyle they foresee, obviously must vary widely from household to household.

One respondent expressed concern that “the areas to be decontaminated may be limited, leaving too many unlivable properties dotting the community.” Another asked that the government “initially allow (every returnee) to move back and forth between the community to which they had evacuated after the accident and the community to which they wish to return.”

The authorities must heed the needs of individual residents carefully to accommodate their wishes without fail. It would be out of question to force them into decisions they are not yet ready to make.

And there will be other tough problems. What is the government going to do about “vacant areas” where decontamination and maintenance of mountain forests will require huge financial outlays?

The central government is responsible for maintaining dialogue with the local governments and residents to guide them along while determining the timing and conditions for the final lifting of all evacuation orders.

--The Asahi Shimbun, May 24

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