Four years after Fukushima disaster, residents reluctant to return home 일본 대지진

Exactly four years ago,... Japan was hit by a massive earthquake and tsunami that claimed thousands of lives and released deadly radiation from three destroyed reactors at the Fukushima nuclear power plant. Clean-up efforts continued but residents still worry about their health and safety. Sohn Jung-in reports on the lingering contamination problem. Life is gradually returning to normal in the disaster-stricken Fukushima region, as workers continue their efforts to clean up the area and lower radiation levels. Kawauchi, located within 20 kilometers of the Fukushima power plant, is one of the villages that has had its evacuation advisory lifted since the meltdown disaster four years ago, but only 7 of its 274 former residents have decided to return. It′s hard to say whether the town will ever be the same. "I′ve told my son to return to the village with his family, but I can′t force them as it is ultimately their decision." Over 117,000 former residents from Fukushima are reluctant to return home due to fears of high radiation levels. And the potential long-term implications, including cancer, are causing more concern. The number of children diagnosed with thyroid cancer is increasing in Japan, with more than 100 confirmed or suspected cases after tests of nearly 400,000 children. Before the disaster, there were just one to two cases of thyroid cancer in a million among Japanese children. Another concern is the treatment of farmland that remains contaminated with higher-than-natural levels of radiocesium in some regions. With no distinct plans to address the problem, efforts to decontaminate the soil are generating a massive amount of radioactive waste, which is packed into black bags and moved to temporary sites. Some Japanese people still remain doubtful about what the government is telling them about radiation levels and safety, saying the government has failed to protect them. Sohn Jung-in, Arirang News.