Residents return to town deserted since meltdowns

TOKYO — Several former residents of Futaba, the only remaining uninhabited town in Japan still recovering from effects of radiation from nuclear plant meltdowns in 2011, have returned to live for the first time since the huge earthquake and tsunami forced them out.

Authorities have declared most other areas safe and reopened them following extensive decontamination efforts over the past decade.

In Futaba, only 15 of 7,000 residents living there before the tragedy struck expressed their desire to return last week on a trial basis. A fully-fledged reopening of the town on Japan’s northeastern coast is set for June.

“It’s the first time in 10 years and 10 months that I’ve seen running water come out,” a beaming Yuji Onuma told NHK television. He said he looks forward to cooking fried noodles and eating with his wife and children when they resume their lives back in town together later this month.

He was there alone Friday with several others who in recent years have been gradually cleaning their homes during allowed daytime visits. Another returnee, Yoichi Yatsuta, said he hoped town officials will pursue reconstruction to restore the life as much as possible to encourage younger people to come back.

Their town was the hardest hit when the nearby Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant went into meltdowns following the 9.0 magnitude quake that sent tsunami waves washing over the coast, killing some 18,000 people, including more than 50 in Futaba.

Futaba Mayor Shiro Izawa said the return on a trial basis “is a first step toward Futaba town’s reconstruction. I’m sure many town residents have long been waiting for this day.”

There are no medical services or enough shops. For now, the residents must go elsewhere to find a hospital or shop for food and other daily necessities. Izawa promised to provide ample support ahead of the formal lifting of part of the town’s no-go zones in June.

But prospects for a larger return appear grim.

Futaba’s registered residents already have decreased by nearly 2,000 from its predisaster population. Even after radiation levels declined to safe levels, the region’s farming and fishing continue to be hurt by lingering concerns among consumers and retailers.