15 Years On: Supermarkets Key to Evacuees’ Return to Fukushima Communities

Fukushima, March 10 (Jiji Press)–Supermarket operators are opening new stores in parts of Fukushima Prefecture, northeastern Japan, where residents had been forced to evacuate following a severe nuclear accident caused by a major tsunami that followed a powerful earthquake 15 years ago. Creating an environment in which people can easily buy fresh foods and daily necessities is essential for facilitating the return of former residents and attracting new residents. Last August, major supermarket chain Aeon Co. opened an outlet in the town of Futaba, one of the two Fukushima municipalities hosting Tokyo Electric Power Company Holdings Inc.’s Fukushima No. 1 nuclear power station, where an unprecedented triple reactor meltdown occurred due to damage from the March 11, 2011, tsunami. The store, located in front of East Japan Railway Co.’s Futaba Station, is relatively small, with a sales floor space of about 200 square meters. But it offers a variety of goods, including over-the-counter drugs and local specialties, as well as fresh and prepared foods. Futaba had been the last remaining Fukushima municipality where all residents were forced to evacuate under the government’s order until the mandate was partially lifted, for areas including the section around the station, in August 2022, nearly 11 and a half years after the accident. In the hope of bringing back the former bustle, the town then began soliciting supermarket operators willing to launch stores in the reopened areas. In response, Aeon Tohoku Co., based in the city of Akita, capital of the namesake prefecture, came forward. Fukushima and Akita are two of the six prefectures comprising the Tohoku northeastern region. Ahead of the start of the supermarket solicitation process, the Futaba town government conducted a survey for evacuated residents, who were asked what they needed for their possible decisions on returning to the town. The largest number of respondents cited hospitals, followed by commercial facilities such as supermarkets. “Supermarkets are as important as housing and infrastructure such as roads,” a Futaba town official said. Futaba had only some 180 residents at the time of the store’s opening Aeon Tohoku President Masanobu Tsuji said the company has been determined to “work together (with local communities) to the end as their partner to rebuild the prefecture’s Hamadori coastal region.” Opening the Futaba store was in line with this concept, Tsuji stressed. The Futaba store plans to improve operational efficiency through cooperation with Aeon outlets in the town of Namie and other nearby municipalities. It is also considering expanding into entertainment business in the future, taking advantage of the Aeon group’s know-how and expertise. Supermarket chain Maruto Co., based in the Fukushima city of Iwaki, is planning to open a store in the town of Okuma, the other host municipality for the Fukushima No. 1 plant, moving up the launch by around a year from the original plan based on the needs among residents. “We want to meet residents’ wishes to lead a normal life,” Maruto President Hiroshi Ajima said. The presence of a certain level of daytime population, including workers involved in the decommissioning of the stricken nuclear plant, and people who moved into the town also pushed Maruto to bring forward the store launch plan, he said. With a sales floor space of about 1,200 square meters, the Okuma store is also expected to house a 100-yen shop and a drugstore. While Ajima said, “We’re not expecting to be in the black from the beginning,” the company hopes to secure profits by offering high-profitability delivery services for all products except drugs. A woman in her 30s who lives in Okuma welcomed Maruto’s plan, saying: “While I currently have to drive about 15 minutes to go shopping, I would be able to go (to the new store) after work.” Synergy effects are already evident, Okuma officials said, noting that sales of land for housing in the town started to rise after Maruto’s decision to open the store. END [Copyright The Jiji Press, Ltd.]