Frequency of visits to Tomioka town and related factors among evacuees more than a decade after the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant accident

Abstract

Abstract This study aimed to clarify the frequency of visits (FOV) to Tomioka town, Japan, and related factors among evacuees more than a decade after the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant accident. A questionnaire survey was conducted on residents (age ≥ 18 years) who had residence cards in August 2021. Of the 2260 respondents, the FOV to Tomioka was as follows: 926 (41.0%) more than twice a year (Group 1 [G1]), 841 (37.2%) once a year (G2) and 493 (21.8%) no visits (G3). About 70% of the respondents who had decided not to return to Tomioka visited once a year or more. No significant differences in the FOV or radiation risk perception were found between groups. Multinomial logistic regression analysis using G3 as a reference revealed independent associations between living inside Fukushima in G1 (odds ratio [OR] = 5.4, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 4.1–7.3; P < 0.01) and G2 (OR = 2.3, 95% CI: 1.8–3.0, P < 0.01), undecided about returning in G1 (OR = 2.5, 95% CI: 1.9–3.3, P < 0.01), females in G1 (OR = 2.0, 95% CI: 1.6–2.6, P < 0.01) and motivation to learn more about tritiated water in G2 (OR = 1.8, 95% CI: 1.3–2.4, P < 0.01). Overall, 80% of the residents had visited Tomioka within a decade after the accident. These findings suggest the need to continue the effective dissemination of information about the effects of a nuclear accident and the subsequent decommissioning process to evacuees after evacuation orders have been lifted.