Japan lifts 4-year evacuation of Fukushima town

[n2doc]

Source: CNN

For the first time since the 2011 Fukushima nuclear disaster, residents of a certain town can return full-time if they wish.

The Japanese government on Saturday lifted an evacuation order for the small town of Naraha, about 16 kilometers (10 miles) south of the crippled Fukushima Daiichi plant in Fukushima prefecture, Japan's Kyodo news agency reported.

The town is within the 20-kilometer radius that the government evacuated after a March 2011 earthquake unleashed a tsunami that damaged reactors at the nuclear plant. The damage caused a series of meltdowns and a major release of radioactive material.

The government said radiation levels at Naraha have fallen to acceptable levels after decontamination work, Kyodo reported.

Read more: http://www.cnn.com/2015/09/05/asia/japan-fukushima-town-evacuation-lifted/

[PoliticAverse]

1. Be sure to bring your personal radiation detector with you... n/t

[MADem]

4. Really--and a few extra pairs of lead underwear.... nt

[Liberal_in_LA]

5. yes! better yet, don't go

[dembotoz]

6. like mitt romneys???? or are those different

[MADem]

8. If he had lead in his shorts, that was likely for a different reason! nt

[Mnemosyne]

2. Japanese gov are liars. nt

[dixiegrrrrl]

3. Let's define those "acceptable" levels.

"Acceptable " to who?

[NutmegYankee]

9. The level reported is 0.1 microsieverts/hr. New York has a radiation level of 0.093 by comparison.

If you use 8766 as an average hours per year (1/4 of leap year added), the yearly dose is 877 microsieverts. That's the equivalent of either 2 mammograms per year or 21 cross country flights. The normal exposure of an American is about 4000 microsieverts per year.

It's pretty damn safe. The US allows far higher exposure in industry.

[dembotoz]

7. exactly how does that happen

do they owe back property taxes?
do residents have ownership of their homes and possessions or do insurance companies now own it

the economics of whole thing leaves me a bit curious

[Art_from_Ark]

11. Homeowners retain possession of their homes in most cases

Insurance companies would pay for damages, but property owners would retain possession of their land if the house was rendered uninhabitable.

The property tax thing is pretty complicated, judging from the information on the town's web site.
I can't find anything so far about back taxes, but the current property taxes are determined based on several factors and are divided into several categories. Property owners will get a discount on their taxes for the next 6 years

http://www.town.naraha.lg.jp/kurashi/c08/000838.html

[Joe Chi Minh]

10. Pass....