Speaking of natural disasters..., let's turn
now to Japan... which is still recovering
from the deadly earthquake and tsunami three
years ago.
We hear that for the first time since the
nuclear fallout... authorities have finally
given the all-clear for some residents of
the affected area to return home.
That's right Jihae.
The evacuation order for the small village
of Miyakoji was lifted at midnight...
Monday, local time.
The area, located some 20 kilometers away
from the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant,
had been off-limits to most residents since
March 2011, following the triple meltdown
at the power plant.
It's a major milestone for the some 355 residents
of the area, many of whom had been hoping...
to return to their homes.
The 2011 crisis had forced more than 160-thousand
people residing near the Fukushima plant to
evacuate.
Around a third of them are still living in
temporary housing as Japan continues to complete
decontamination work.
The projected 30-billion U.S. dollar cleanup
of radioactive fallout throughout the Fukushima
prefecture is behind schedule and is not expected
to achieve Tokyo's radiation reduction goal...
in the long-term.
