11 years after the Tohoku Earthquake, 187 evacuees reside in Okinawa; most from Fukushima

11 years after the Tohoku Earthquake, 187 evacuees reside in Okinawa; most from Fukushima


March 11, 2022 Ryukyu Shimpo

By Chikako Maemori

 

March 11 marks the 11th anniversary of the Great East Japan Earthquake and the subsequent Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant accident that devastated Japan’s Tohoku Region. Approximately 38,000 diasporas (as of February 8) are scattered nationwide because of the catastrophic events, according to Japan’s Reconstruction Agency. In Okinawa Prefecture, 187 evacuees currently live across 22 municipalities; The agency asserts that Fukushima Prefecture produced the highest number of displacements in the wake of the disaster, albeit no further details are provided.

 

The Reconstruction Agency estimates rely on data from the National Evacuee Information System, a tool that was devised after the earthquake by the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications. The number of internally displaced persons that evacuated to Okinawa Prefecture peaked at 1,062 in February 2013.

 

Critics point out that the National Evacuee Information System does not accurately capture the realities of the evacuees, since the system relies on self-reporting. Whether a person moves, returns home, or decides to permanently settle where they initially took refuge, the events are not recorded in the system unless the individual notifies the appropriate authorities.

 

(English translation by T&CT and Monica Shingaki)

 

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