March 12, 2025

Akahata ‘current’ column

An 82-year-old woman, who returned to Namie Town soon after the evacuation order following the 2011 nuclear accident at TEPCO’s Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant was lifted, lamented, “I never felt this lonely in my hometown.” She said that her neighborhood was deserted when she returned, and that even now, the town’s main road is seldom used. She added that the only place with people is a roadside farmers’ market, but that the whole town is quiet which makes her feel increasingly lonely.

A 75-year-old man who returned to Namie Town two years ago said it had been ten months since he had heard a human voice directly. He said he lives alone and spends his time watching TV every day.

Before the disaster, about 20,000 people lived in the town, but only about 10% of them returned.

Due to the prolonged evacuation, few people have returned to other towns as well. These towns are almost in the same situation as Namie. Yamakawa Mitsuo, professor emeritus at Fukushima University, pointed out that the main reason why they decide not to return to their homes is that the accident-related issues have not yet been resolved. He stated that along with a safe environment, it is necessary to improve the basic living conditions related to jobs, pursuing livelihoods, education, medical care, and nursing care.

The problems of how to dispose of contaminated water and what to do with decontaminated soil remain. The decommissioning of the Fukushima Daiichi NPP will take decades to complete. Fourteen years later, large areas are still difficult for original inhabitants to be back. Nevertheless, the LDP-Komei government keeps turning its back on the concerns of the disaster victims and is going ahead with the planned restart of currently-suspended nuclear power plants and seeking to make full use of NPPs and even build new ones.

In addition, the government is encouraging companies to use the land that residents left abandoned as a result of the nuclear disaster, for development projects. Since that day, those who were forced to evacuate their homes have been shouting, “Give us back our beautiful hometowns!”