Importance of improving radiation risk perception during reconstruction of Futaba town at 11 years after lifting of Fukushima nuclear accident evacuation orders

Abstract

The last among the towns in Fukushima prefecture to lift its evacuation order after the 2011 nuclear accident, Futaba started allowing residents to return in August 2022. To facilitate the future influx of residents, a survey regarding the expectations for reconstruction among current Futaba residents and evacuees was conducted. The survey revealed that 74.0% of respondents had expectations for the reconstruction of Futaba, and similar proportions for the recovery of workplaces, farming, and residential areas. Among these respondents, 11.3% had already returned or expressed a desire to return to Futaba, and 4.2% stated that they did not wish to return. Respondents who were not concerned about treated water to be released in the sea (odds ratio 0.6, 95% confidence interval [CI] 0.4–1.0), drinking tap water from Futaba (odds ratio 0.4, 95%CI 0.3–0.7), experiencing health effects from radiation exposure (odds ratio 0.5, 95%CI 0.3–0.9) and genetic effects (odds ratio 0.4, 95%CI 0.2–0.6) had higher expectations of the town’s recovery. It is essential to promote practical radiological culture in Futaba town to encourage local involvement in recovery processes of the town and to minimize radiation-related anxiety.