The government plans to rent all land owned by residents in parts of the no-entry zone of the Fukushima No. 1 nuclear power plant that will remain under that designation for at least 10 years, sources said.
The government plans to rent all land owned by residents in parts of the no-entry zone of the Fukushima No. 1 nuclear power plant that will remain under that designation for at least 10 years, sources said.
Tokyo started discussing details of the rental plan with municipal governments as part of its efforts to compensate residents.
The government had planned to gradually lift the no-entry designation for the entire area within a 20-kilometer radius of the stricken nuclear plant from October to January. According to Step II of Tokyo Electric Power Co.'s road map to deal with the crisis, all damaged reactors at the plant will be brought to a "cold shutdown" state during that period.
However, 35 of 50 locations in the area showed estimated annual accumulated radiation levels far above the reference value of 20 millisieverts for evacuation orders.
In the Koirino area of Okuma in Fukushima Prefecture, a measurement of 508.1 millisieverts was recorded.
Some areas of Futaba and Okuma that lie within 3 km of the plant are expected to remain part of the no-entry zone. However, a senior government official said wider areas outside the 3-km radius that have recorded high radiation levels may also continue to be part of the no-entry zone.
Some members of the ruling Democratic Party of Japan suggested buying all the properties, but the proposal was retracted in light of the residents' strong attachment toward their land that has been passed down from generation to generation.
The government is considering making TEPCO, the operator of the plant, responsible for the rental payments.
At the first meeting of a government panel on nuclear accident reconstruction on Aug. 27 in the prefectural capital of Fukushima, Prime Minister Naoto Kan will likely apologize to local officials and residents who were expecting the no-entry designation to be lifted.
The meeting will discuss the issues of decontamination and compensation measures.
Tatsuo Hirano, the reconstruction minister, said in Ishinomaki, Miyagi Prefecture, on Aug. 21 that the government should promptly disclose the names of areas that will require an extremely long time to reduce radiation to levels before the March 11 earthquake, as well as take such measures as building houses for the evacuated residents.
Fears have grown that radiation levels will remain high in some areas even after decontamination measures are taken. In addition, adequate safety might not be ensured in certain areas when the reactors are decommissioned.
The government headquarters handling the Fukushima crisis said Aug. 9 there would be some areas in which residents would not be allowed to return home over the long term.
Upset at the postponement, Okuma Mayor Toshitsuna Watanabe said Aug. 21 that evacuees from the town will be extremely disappointed at the postponement because radiation measurements and decontamination steps have not yet been fully implemented.