70 Pct of Fukushima Now Sees Radiation Levels near National Average

Tokyo, June 3 (Jiji Press)–Radiation levels have fallen to around the national average in about 70 pct of Fukushima Prefecture, northeastern Japan, the Secretariat of the Nuclear Regulation Authority said Wednesday. As of last December, air radiation levels in these Fukushima areas were 0.1 microsievert per hour or lower. Meanwhile, areas with 0.2 microsievert per hour or lower covered 92 pct of the prefecture. The data was released to mark 15 years since the March 2011 accident at Tokyo Electric Power Company Holdings Inc.’s tsunami-stricken Fukushima No. 1 nuclear power plant. In Fukushima, areas with radiation levels exceeding 3.8 microsieverts per hour, the threshold for an evacuation order, totaled 608 square kilometers in 2011 but shrank to 7.4 square kilometers in 2025. Air radiation levels tend to decline over time, according to the NRA secretariat. Decreases have been notable at building lots and agricultural sites, but moderate in forests, where decontamination is difficult. By 2041, the proportion of Fukushima areas with 0.1 microsievert or lower is projected to increase to around 80 pct, and that of those with 0.2 microsievert or lower is forecast to rise to around 95 pct. END [Copyright The Jiji Press, Ltd.]