Residents outside the planned evacuation zone near the Fukushima No. 1 nuclear power plant are trying to lead normal lives, but radiation levels exceeding the safety standard are posing an increasing threat.
Residents outside the planned evacuation zone near the Fukushima No. 1 nuclear power plant are trying to lead normal lives, but radiation levels exceeding the safety standard are posing an increasing threat.
A report released June 3 by the science ministry said annual accumulated radiation levels are estimated at 20.1, 20.8, 23.8 millisieverts in the Ishida and Kamioguni areas of the Ryozen-machi district in Date city, and the Ohara area of the Hara-machi district of Minami-Soma, respectively.
The government's safety standard is 20 millisieverts of annual accumulated radiation.
These areas lie beyond the planned evacuation zone, which is just outside the off-limits area within a 20-kilometer radius of the plant.
The ministry's calculation assumes current radiation accumulation rates will remain static over one year.
The central government and the Date city government held meetings June 5. About 80 local residents attended the one held in the Ishida area and asked for supplies of feed for their livestock. But they also expressed concerns about the possible effects of radiation on expectant mothers.
Government officials in charge of nuclear disaster control measures tried to reassure the residents by telling them that the standard of 20 millisieverts is among the lowest in the world.
But when asked by residents to present specific measures to lower the radiation levels, the officials only repeated that they would continue to monitor the situation.
The central government's task force does not plan to designate those areas as part of the planned evacuation zone. The city government will not ask the central government to do so, either.
Shoji Nishida, the mayor of Date, also said the 20-millisievert level does not pose an immediate danger. He said that if the city were included in the evacuation zone, all residents would be forced to leave their homes. He said the decision on whether to leave the area should be left to the residents themselves.
The city government of Minami-Soma is also considering holding a meeting with residents to explain the situation.
The planned evacuation zone, designated on April 11, covers about 10,000 residents in about 3,000 households in Iitate and part of Kawamata town, Namie town, Katsurao village and Minami-Soma.