Japan Press Weekly

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2018 March 7 - 13 [SOCIAL ISSUES]

2011 disaster-affected Fukushima municipalities want extension of gov't reconstruction support

In an Akataha questionnaire survey, 13 municipalities in Fukushima where many residents were forced to flee due to the 2011 nuclear meltdown accident answered that they want the central government to continue providing support until their reconstruction is fully completed.

More than 73,000 Fukushima residents have been living in temporary homes since they evacuated from their communities following the major earthquake which occurred on March 11 seven years ago and the resultant nuclear accident at TEPCO's Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant, according to the Reconstruction Agency. The state government, however, will terminate its budgetary support project "Reconstruction and Revitalization Period" in addition to the dissolution of the Reconstruction Agency at the end of March 2021.

Akahata surveyed 13 municipalities in Fukushima which are subject to the state government's act on special measures for nuclear disaster evacuees.

The survey shows that 12 municipalities hope that the government will "continue" to provide assistance until their communities are completely recovered or "extend" the Reconstruction and Revitalization Period and not terminate the project. The remaining one municipality seeks specific assistance measures from the government.

In a 4-choice question regarding the progress in reconstruction, the crippled nuclear plant-hosting town of Futaba answered the reconstruction has "just begun": six municipalities, including another host town Okuma, answered, "half complete": five see that their reconstruction completes "almost 70%" of the process: and no municipality recognizes that the recovery has been "basically finished". Tomioka Town answered it cannot choose from a list of the four as it believes that rebuilding communities in the current "difficult-to-return areas" is indispensable for true reconstruction.

In a question regarding demands to the plant operator TEPCO, eight municipalities look forward to compensation which is totally beneficial to disaster victims: eight call for the total decommissioning of Fukushima Daiichi: and three out of the eight want Fukushima Daini to be decommissioned.

Namie Town described its harsh situation as follows, "The resumption of specialist medical institutions and major commercial facilities will lead to an improvement in townspeople's lives and to a rise in the number of people returning. Given the actual population at present, however, many commercial companies are not interested in new store openings. This is the difficult and contradictory situation we are faced with."

Past related articles:
> JCP Koike talks with heads of 2011 disaster-affected municipalities [February 21&23, 2018]
> 3/11 disaster victims still in need of government support [March 11, 2017]