Residents allowed to return to town near Fukushima plant

I drove through Tamura yesterday heading for Iitate do some volunteer work. So, so sad.

The Japanese government makes me sick. They're too busy focusing on the Olympics to care about Tohoku.

As for why I go volunteering...to help the biggest victims of Tohoko, the poor animals. The situation up there, three years later, remains dire. It is truly sickening that animals are left to fend for themselves, leading isolated lives, no doubt breeding (those that are free, of course, not the poor dogs chained up all day, everyday). I though Japan was a civilised, modern society but the way it treats animals is anything but.

Disgusted.

I hope the poor people and animals of Tohoku can return to some sense of normalcy after all this time. I fear that will not happen though.

It has long been established that the 'flight exposure' analogy is essentially, in effect, a total misrepresentation of the type of radiation exposure experienced in the aftermath of a nuclear catastrophe such as that which is still ongoing in Fukushima. Living, drinking, eating, breathing in a contaminated landscape is in no way comparable to the external exposure rate experienced through flight, in NO way. Internal emitters breathed in or consumed sit within body tissue / bone and cause cancer. You'd think Japanese publication that has been reporting about the catastrophes for the last 3 years would know this basic fact about radiation by now.

Quasar80> Who said otherwise? But the comparision still stands as a glaring affront to reason and fact. You don't get a committed dose from flying in an aircraft anywhere close to that recieved when living in a contaminated landscape, where as already stated, you breath, eat and drink dosage. QED.

The little town is probably a beautiful piece of green countryside with great local people who lived there. Now it's a fallout zone and living there will be a calculated risk based on lifespan and permitted exposure rates. I cant imagine having to chose abandoning my only home or returning and waiting for sickness.

Sad. These people deserve time to have an audience with former TEPCO President Shimizu. At the very least he should hear their stories one by one.

Saw a view of the hamlet from a helicopter on the morning news and an interview with an older man who's moved back. Yes it does look quite idyllic, but like much of rural Japan, was already in decline with few young people. Now it's hard to imagine that any young families who were there will return.

J Govt knows there are long term effects of radiation exposure and yet these folks have to face the harsh realty

I would not go back even if i was offered free room and board

YongYang> The sievert unit itself takes into account the way radiation is absorbed by the tissue (it is the main difference between sievert and becquerel).

Yongyang Well said . These are typical forms of disinformation used by pro-nukes to down play the fukushima catastrophe. External exposure is not the same as internal exposure . Nobody should be living that close to fukushima.

As I have said before these "clean ups " & "decontamination " are theatre of the absurd antics & EXPENSIVE ones at that................

Article says $30billion, article says 160,000 evacuees..............that's almost $190,000 per person!!!

The money would be MUCH better used to re-locate people, in the end the govt will likely waste beyond $100billion & keep going & for what, a few elder to return .................this is beyond nuts!

Time for common sense & reality to kick in.............but with 2+ decades here I have experienced precious little of both even before 3/11...........now after its clearly getting worse!

Abe and his government should show confidence and move government to one of these so called "Safe Areas" somehow I do t think that's going to happen .The Olympics will be cancelled, the death and disease will be rampant due to radiation. May Japan rest in peace!