Japan’s complicated plan to let some Fukushima residents return home

Even if residents are allowed to eventually return they will continue to live under the shadow of the devastated Daiichi plant, where its a huge and costly cleanup is expected to take several decades.

Japan to lift entry ban on some Fukushima cities TOKYO, (Reporting by Shinichi Saoshiro; Editing by Daniel Magnowski),  Mar 30, 2012 (Reuters) – Japan said on Friday it would lift entry bans on some cities in Fukushima prefecture that had been designated no-go zones due to their proximity to a nuclear power plant crippled by a powerful earthquake and tsunami last March….

… This follows their declaration in December that the Daiichi plant was in cold shutdown and under control after months of cleanup efforts, signalling it was ready to move to a longer-term phase to eventually decommission the plant.

After lifting the entry bans, the government will separate parts of
Tamura, Minami Soma and Kawauchi into three categories, depending on
radiation levels.

The government hopes that lifting the entry bans will speed up
decontamination by allowing freer access.

In areas where annual radiation measurements are below 20
millisieverts per year, a government safety guideline, residents will
have free access to their homes during the day and will be allowed to
return permanently at the earliest opportunity post-decontamination.

Where readings are between 20 to 50 millisieverts annually, evacuees
will also have unrestricted access during the day although their
permanent return will come later.

In areas where measurements top 50 millisieverts, residents will not
have free access and they will not be allowed to return for a minimum
of five years.

The government is still in talks with the remaining eight cities over
lifting the ban.

Even if residents are allowed to eventually return they will continue to live under the shadow of the devastated Daiichi plant, where its a huge and costly cleanup is expected to take several decades.
http://www.reuters.com/article/2012/03/30/japan-nuclear-idUSL3E7NJ0W420120330

March 31, 2012 - Posted by Christina Macpherson | Japan, politics, Reference