HIRONO, Fukushima Prefecture--Crown Prince Naruhito and Crown Princess Masako visited a senior high school here where students are learning about the reconstruction tasks that lie ahead in disaster-stricken areas of Fukushima Prefecture.
HIRONO, Fukushima Prefecture--Crown Prince Naruhito and Crown Princess Masako visited a senior high school here where students are learning about the reconstruction tasks that lie ahead in disaster-stricken areas of Fukushima Prefecture.
The Oct. 8 school visit was part of the couple’s tour of Fukushima Prefecture to inspect reconstruction efforts following the 2011 earthquake and tsunami, which triggered the catastrophe at the Fukushima No. 1 nuclear power plant.
It is the third time they have visited the prefecture since the disaster, and they said they were particularly concerned about scaremongering, including damaging rumors regarding radioactive fallout.
Futaba Future School, a prefectural senior high school with 152 first-year students, opened in April in the town of Hirono after the evacuation order for the area was lifted in 2012. The school has living accommodations for students whose families have been evacuated to places in and outside the prefecture.
The crown prince and princess talked with four students who live in a dormitory at the school.
The couple said it is regrettable that the students and their families cannot yet return to their hometown. The couple added that the children must miss their homes.