They’ve banded together in various areas around Japan to perhaps see familiar faces or be around those who truly understand their predicament.
They’ve banded together in various areas around Japan to perhaps see familiar faces or be around those who truly understand their predicament.
But these groupings alone are not enough to resolve the many problems facing parents who decided on their own to evacuate from Fukushima Prefecture. Not only are they trying to find places where their children can play without worrying about high radiation levels, they are also struggling with mounting expenses and heightened feelings of guilt.
A 35-year-old woman who evacuated with her two sons to Sendai from Koriyama, which lies about 50 kilometers from the crippled Fukushima No. 1 nuclear power plant, said she decided to flee because her younger son became much more grumpy than usual because he was not allowed to play outside.
"I also feel guilty toward the people who have been left behind," the woman said. "Why do I have to hold such feelings?"
Adding to their frustration is not knowing when they will be able to return to their homes.
According to the Fukushima prefectural government, the number of evacuees was 62,610 on Feb. 9. While the prefecture does not differentiate between those forced to move out and those who left on their own discretion, the science ministry last September estimated that about 27,000 of the 56,000 people who had evacuated from Fukushima Prefecture lived outside the no-entry zone around the Fukushima No. 1 nuclear power plant.
Last October, a facility for evacuees was established in the suburbs of Niigata city. A vacant home was rented out by the city government and the facility is now managed by the Niigata Association of Nonprofits.
On some days, as many as 70 people gather there, and about 70 percent of them are parents who evacuated from Fukushima Prefecture at their discretion.
A 28-year-old woman from Koriyama decided to leave when she realized her 5-year-old daughter's face had grown expressionless after she was told to remain indoors due to radiation concerns.
"I did not have time to worry about whether we would be able to adapt to the new environment or whether my child would be bullied," the woman said.
A 31-year-old woman who fled from Motomiya in Fukushima Prefecture with her 5-year-old daughter and 2-year-old son, said, "I plan to stay in Niigata until spring next year when my daughter will enter elementary school and the period when the apartment rented out by the municipal government ends."
The two full-time workers at the facility are also evacuees. One worker, Takeshi Murakami, 36, also heads the organization of Fukushima evacuees now residing in Niigata Prefecture.
Murakami noted the fact that many evacuees still maintain a base in Fukushima Prefecture.
"There has been an increase in expenses of between 60,000 and 80,000 yen ($750 and $1,000) per month for utilities and transportation between Niigata and Fukushima," he said.
In Akita Prefecture, a gathering of mothers has been set up for tea. The group grew out of an organization established to allow for exchanges between evacuees that was started by Yu Konno and Yoichi Onishi, both associate professors at the Faculty of Education and Human Studies at Akita University. The two are originally from Fukushima Prefecture.
A 38-year-old woman who evacuated from Fukushima city with a daughter in the fourth grade and a son in the second grade said she fears that those who remained in Fukushima will accuse her of running away.
"I am worried about what will happen when we return home," she said.
But a 40-year-old woman said she has no regrets: "Only parents can protect their children. When I come here, I feel that my decision was not mistaken."
Evacuees from Fukushima Prefecture have scattered to all the other 46 prefectures in Japan. Neighboring Yamagata Prefecture has taken in the most Fukushima evacuees.
An organization of mothers from Fukushima who have fled to Yamagata has more than 100 members. Besides contacting nonprofit organizations and child-rearing groups, the organization has also asked local governments to allow parents to enter their children in approved day-care centers without having to transfer their residencies.
The leader of the organization, Miki Nakamura, 36, said, "There will be a need to implement measures that covers not only those people thinking about evacuating, but also those who decide to remain in Fukushima."