Fukushima 10 years on: How locals are returning after nuclear disaster

The meltdown of the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant saw locals evacuate the area. Ten years later, they have begun to return

By Michael Fitzpatrick

TEN years after Japan’s Fukushima nuclear disaster, life in the region is finally edging back to normal. Following a colossal campaign to remove contaminated soil and wash down buildings and roads in the area, radiation readings above ground are now stable at safe levels.

There is even a sense of a construction boom, although tens of thousands of people have yet to return after being evacuated a decade ago. “Everything is new,” said one resident. “New is good.”

The most striking new features are concrete sea walls that run northwards for 400 kilometres …