Japan to Partially Reopen Fukushima Village to Residents in June, Reports Say

MOSCOW (Sputnik) - The Japanese authorities have decided to partially reopen the village of Katsurao, which was blocked off due to high radiation levels caused by the 2011 Fukushima nuclear disaster, and allow residents to return to their houses after 12 June, the Kyodo news agency reported on Friday.

The decision comes after Tokyo concluded in May that decontamination of the region had born fruit and radiation levels no longer posed a threat to life and health of Japanese citizens, according to Kyodo.

However, to date, only eight out of 82 village residents announced their wish to return home, the news agency reported, citing local authorities.

At the moment, Katsurao, along with five other municipalities, is still present in a list of difficult-to-return zones.

Earlier in the day, Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida announced his plan to "move ahead with work to lift restrictions and further accelerate Fukushima's recovery," as quoted by the news agency. The Japanese government intends to partially lift restrictions in municipalities of Futaba and Okuma this June. Three other municipalities will see the easing of restrictions in spring 2033, Kyodo added.

The Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power facility experienced core meltdowns as a result of a 9.0-magnitude earthquake and tsunami on 11 March 2011. The accident became the worst nuclear disaster since the 1986 Chernobyl crisis, leading to massive radiation exposure and contamination of surrounding waters.