Fukushima prefecture: (The Yomiuri Shimbun/ANN)

Naraha has attracted public attention as a model for the remaining municipalities regarding how to handle the return of evacuees

The Japanese government lifted an evacuation order for Naraha, Fukushima Prefecture, Saturday. Among seven municipalities forced to completely evacuate after the 2011 nuclear crisis, Naraha became the first to have its evacuation order lifted.

Naraha has attracted public attention as a model for the remaining municipalities regarding how to handle the return of evacuees after Tokyo Electric Power Co.'€™s Fukushima No. 1 nuclear power plant was crippled. However, many challenges remain when it comes to living in the town. Only 10 percent of the about 7,400 residents, the town'€™s former population, intend to return home.

Drawing a future

The Naraha municipality held a ceremony to mark the lifting Saturday morning.

'€œI'€™ll give my all to have the town pave the way for reconstruction in other municipalities,'€ said Naraha Mayor Yukiei Matsumoto during the ceremony.

A rendering of a future Naraha was unveiled at the ceremony. Drawn up based on the town'€™s reconstruction plans to boost local employment, it features a commercial complex that has stores, a prefectural clinic and other entities. However, many people harbour concerns about their future.

Daily shopping remains difficult. As the town currently has only two convenience stores and one supermarket, shopping is a cause for worry among elderly people, especially those who do not drive.

'€œI can only go shopping when my husband drives me,'€ said Misako Miyajima, a 72-year-old homemaker who returned to Naraha with her husband and son.

Yumi Moue, a 34-year-old homemaker, and her children '€”a 9-year-old girl and a 3-year-old boy '€” continue living in a temporary housing unit in Iwaki, Fukushima Prefecture, but decided to spend weekends in their house in Naraha following the lifting of the evacuation order.

'€œMy children are happy because they'€™re back to our house in Naraha, where they have their own rooms,'€ she said.

However, they hesitate to return home permanently out of concerns over drinking water.

Mud containing radioactive substances is said to have accumulated on the bed of the Kido Dam, a source of tap water for the town. The water is regarded as safe as the municipality has installed more testing equipment to reinforce water purification and is monitoring the drinking water 24 hours a day.

However, Moue said, '€œAs my children are still small, I'€™m still worried about letting them drink tap water.'€

She keeps mineral water in reserves, but she does not have a great supply, prompting her to install a water filter at the faucet.

Delays at clinics

A private clinic aims to resume operations next month, but the reopening has yet to be officially decided. The prefectural government is planning to run its own clinic, but the opening is expected to be in February.

'€œWhat do we do in case of emergency?'€ said Miyuki Sato, 50, who runs an eatery in Naraha'€™s temporary shopping district. '€œI want the municipality to take some sort of steps just in case.'€

Before the 2011 disaster, children in Naraha studied at two municipal primary schools and one middle school. Currently, they are all learning at a temporary school building in Iwaki. The Naraha municipality intends to reopen the three schools in April 2017 as many of its residents are hesitating to come back. (**)

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