TAMURA, Fukushima Prefecture--The familiar sounds of a rice farmer harvesting his crop in autumn returned to the Miyakoji district here on Oct. 8 for the first time in three years since residents were forced to evacuate due to the accident at the Fukushima No. 1 nuclear power plant.
TAMURA, Fukushima Prefecture--The familiar sounds of a rice farmer harvesting his crop in autumn returned to the Miyakoji district here on Oct. 8 for the first time in three years since residents were forced to evacuate due to the accident at the Fukushima No. 1 nuclear power plant.
“The golden scenery (of rice ears) fills me with emotion. I am happy. I hope that my rice harvesting encourages other residents in my district to restart their rice cultivation next year,” said Hisao Tsuboi, who was working a combine harvester in a field about 18 kilometers west of the Fukushima No. 1 nuclear plant.
The reaping of rice marked the first time that it has been conducted in areas that had been previously designated no-entry zones due to the nuclear crisis triggered by the March 11, 2011, Great East Japan Earthquake and tsunami.
In April 2012, the Miyakoji district was changed from a no-entry zone to “Hinan-shiji kaijo junbi-kuiki” (an area to prepare for the lifting of the evacuation order), which allowed residents to freely return to their homes in the daytime and stay overnight over the New Year's season and other consecutive holiday periods.
After the government’s decontamination work was completed in the district in June, returning residents were allowed to remain in their homes for longer periods. Tsuboi has been living in his house since August and growing rice in an area measuring 1.8 hectares.
All his harvested rice will be inspected by the government. If the radiation level is lower than the government’s safety standard of 100 becquerels per kilogram, it will be shipped to markets.